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Polish Prime Minister, Mateusz Morawiecki, assured this Friday that problems related to the rule of law lie within European institutions and not with Poland, which is embroiled in a dispute with Brussels over its judicial reform.
“I see more of a problem with the rule of law in the European institutions because they presume to have the right to judge Poland’s judicial reform, but they do not have that right under de EU Treaty,” he said in an interview with the German weekly Der Spiegel.
The prime minister of the Law and Justice Party (PiS) implied that there are powers in Europe that use the dispute as an excuse to try to weaken a country that has become a “locomotive of development” on the continent.
“We articulate the experiences and interests of the countries that experienced communism,” he declared, adding, “Maybe our role isn’t to everyone’s liking in Europe.”
Morawiecki stated that the system of appointing judges in Spain is practically identical to the one instituted in Poland but that, in this case, “it does not seem to bother anyone.”
Although the European Commission (EC) recently gave the green light to the unblocking of recovery funds for Poland held up by the dispute, after Warsaw agreed to reforms, the sum of up to $35.9 billion has not yet been disbursed.
In the interview, Morawiecki also took a hard line against German foreign and energy policy, which he said “has inflicted tremendous damage on Europe” in Russia’s war against Ukraine.
Berlin’s hesitations and inaction mean that the value of the alliance with Germany should be “seriously called into question,” a view he said is also shared by other heads of government in Europe.
The premier also reiterated the demand, made earlier this month, that Germany pay Poland $1.32 trillion in reparations for the destruction caused during World War II.
Warsaw is preparing to send the government in Berlin a diplomatic note regarding the matter and aims to hold talks with the German government in which it wants representatives of Israel to participate as well, he explained.
“It is possible that we will also take our claims to international courts at a later stage,” said Morawiecki, who reiterated that he does not recognize the agreement under which Warsaw allegedly renounced reparations in 1953 when it was under Soviet control.
