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Leading European politicians accused Warsaw of “playing with fire” in a heated debate about the primacy of EU law.
A Polish court ruling challenging the supremacy of EU law has plunged the EU into an existential crisis, exacerbating the concerns of EU policymakers and many Poles that Poland may eventually withdraw from the EU.
Politicians across Europe expressed disappointment at the meeting on Friday ruling The Polish Constitutional Court stated on Thursday that part of the EU law is inconsistent with the Polish Constitution and undermines the legal pillars on which the 27 EU countries rely.
Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, said she was “deeply concerned” that the EU executive body she led would do everything possible to ensure the primacy of EU law.
She said in a statement that the EU’s 450 million citizens and their companies need legal certainty, and the committee will conduct a quick analysis to determine its next course of action.
Although Warsaw and Brussels have been in a state of dispute since the Law and Justice (PiS) Party came to power in 2015, they are now on the track of a full-scale conflict.
‘Play with fire’
“We must make it clear that this Polish government is playing with fire,” Luxembourg Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn said when he arrived in Luxembourg for the EU ministerial meeting.
“The primacy of European law is vital to European integration and living together in Europe. If this principle is broken, Europe as we know it, because it was established under the Treaty of Rome, will no longer exist.”
Brussels officials said on Thursday that the court’s ruling may lead to a series of fines and legal proceedings against Warsaw, which will take months or even years to complete.
PiS stated that it does not have a “Poland Brexit” plan, and unlike the United Kingdom before the 2016 Brexit referendum, the Polish public has a high rate of support for joining the European Union.
Since Poland became a member of the European Union in 2004, it has helped drive some of the fastest economic growth in Europe. As an increasingly confident Russia makes some Central and Eastern European countries that have been under communist rule for decades uncomfortable, many Poles regard the EU as an important part of national security.
However, Polish Prime Minister Mateus Morawiecki welcomed the court’s ruling. He said that every member state must be respected and that the EU should not be “a group of equal and more equal people.”
Polish concerns
The populist governments of Poland and Hungary found themselves increasingly at odds with the European Commission on issues ranging from LGBTQ rights to judicial independence.
After Morawiecki asked whether EU institutions could prevent Poland from reorganizing its judiciary, the Constitutional Court accepted the case.
By 2028, Poland will receive about 770 billion zlotys ($193 billion) from the European Union, and critics say the government is putting this funding at risk. Poland’s nominal gross domestic product (GDP) in 2020 is 2.3 trillion zlotys (577 billion U.S. dollars).
A Eurobarometer survey conducted in June and July 2021 showed that Poles trust the EU almost twice as much as their national government.
“I think… we are at risk of exiting the European Union, because all these ongoing actions may lead to a gradual exit,” said Grazyna Gulbinowicz, a Warsaw pensioner.
“I think this will have a very negative impact on our overall situation, because things are not easy. Without EU funds, the situation will be more difficult, not to mention the fact that we will feel isolated.”
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