Polish PM chooses to focus on economy, amid questions on rule of law in Poland

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki © European Parliament 2018

This article is brought to you in association with the European Parliament. Prime Minister of Poland Mateusz Morawiecki debated the future of Europe with MEPs and EU Commission Vice-President Valdis Dombrovskis, last Wednesday.
“Poland was one of the first countries to give voting rights to women, and we are deeply rooted in the rule of law. We could have been a founding member of the EU, had it not been for the iron curtain. Now as a fully-fledged member, we want to propose a constructive programme, where we respect national identities and every country has a right to set up its legal system in line with its traditions”, said Mr Morawiecki. “The European project needs to be more open, as today’s situation is without precedent, because of all the crises which have accumulated”, continued Mr Morawiecki, listing the migration crisis, Brexit and a Russian hybrid war among them. Mr Morawiecki proposed a secure union, protecting citizens against the power of global corporations and fighting disparities with ambitious cohesion policy. He stressed that Poland is closing the loopholes in its tax collection system and tackling tax avoidance and tax evasion, hinting at a passive judiciary, which did not work properly, as a culprit. “We need new competition rules in the EU, adapted for the digital age, to deal with companies such as Google and Facebook”, he continued. The Polish PM also claimed Poland’s allegiance to clean energy transformation efforts and criticised Nordstream 2 as a political project which has led to  Russia having too much influence over the Polish economy. “I am happy to see the European defence fund and investment in the defence sector”, said Mr Morawiecki. He also urged the EU to be more realistic in managing migratory flows if it wants to regain its citizens’ trust and offered to double efforts to help finance a development plan for Africa. Throughout his speech, the Polish Prime Minister reiterated that his government supported social justice and eradication of poverty and inequality with bold social policy measures, which ensured public support. Leaders of the main political groups quizzed Mr Morawiecki on the changes in the judicial system, which threaten the rule of law in Poland. Most MEPs condemned the Polish government for consolidating its power. Agreeing with Mr Morawiecki’s stance on development strategy, energy security and defense, MEPs were united in their conviction that the EU must be built on the shared values of rule of law. MEPs recalled that Poland invented the separation of powers in its constitution, which was the first of its kind in Europe, saying that forcing judges to retire and putting them under political control is not a question of a national tradition. They reiterated their support for the Polish citizens protesting on the streets against the changes.

Discover more from The European Sting - Critical News & Insights on European Politics, Economy, Foreign Affairs, Business & Technology - europeansting.com

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

Interesting reads

© IMO Crew members take a break on a ship. (file)

‘No precedent’ for seafarers caught in war zone in post-WW2 era

This article is published in association with United Nations. Some 20,000 seafarers remain stranded on ships in the Strait of Hormuz as the war in the Middle East continues, a situation which has been described as unprecedented in the post-Second World War era. The seafarers are working on some 2,000 ships including oil and gas tankers, […]
© UNIFIL UNIFIL peacekeepers on patrol along the Blue Line in southern Lebanon.

UN condemns killing of two more peacekeepers in Lebanon

This article is published in association with United Nations. The United Nations has condemned two consecutive days of deadly attacks on peacekeepers serving with the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), amid rising hostilities between Israeli forces and Hezbollah militants.  Two Indonesian peacekeepers were killed on Monday, and two more were injured, in an explosion that hit a UNIFIL logistics convoy, destroying […]
© WFP/Arete/Ali Yunes A building in Beirut lies in ruins after airstrikes in Lebanon.

Middle East war: Attacks on vital healthcare, evacuation strike fears

This article is published in association with United Nations. Almost one month since Israeli and US airstrikes on Iran began, sparking a wider regional war, UN agencies and partners on Friday highlighted the terror among civilians fleeing bombardment, with “no safe space” to go. In a rare piece of good news, though, the UN World Health […]
UN News/Daniel Dickinson The closure of the Hormuz strait is impacting trade on a global scale.

Persian Gulf crisis impacting food security, FAO warns

This article is published in association with United Nations. The intensifying conflict in the Persian Gulf “has triggered one of the most rapid and severe disruptions to global commodity flows in recent times,” the Chief Economist with the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said on Thursday.  The crisis is affecting agricultural production and food security worldwide, with impacts […]

Gulf war ‘out of control’, Guterres warns, as UN appoints envoy to push for peace

This article is published in association with United Nations. UN Secretary-General António Guterres has warned that the escalating Gulf war is “out of control”, urging all sides to step back from the brink and allow diplomacy to prevail, as he announced the appointment of a senior envoy to spearhead peace efforts. Speaking outside the UN Security Council in New York […]
This article is published in association with United Nations.

Gaza: Commitment to US-backed plan crucial to recovery, Security Council hears

This article is published in association with United Nations. As tensions escalate in the Middle East, the international community must not lose sight of the situation in Gaza, an official with US President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace across the shattered enclave said on Tuesday in his first appearance in the UN Security Council.  High Representative […]
© IMF/Stephen Jaffe The UN is warning of surging food and fuel prices driven by the escalation of the conflict in the Middle East.

Dire fertiliser shortage a lurking threat due to Hormuz crisis

This article is published in association with United Nations. Since the start of the Middle East conflict with Israeli and US strikes on Iran on 28 February, concerns have been growing over rising oil and commodity prices. At the centre of it lies the Strait of Hormuz – one of the world’s most critical maritime chokepoints […]
© WFP/Arete/Ali Yunes A building in Beirut lies in ruins after airstrikes in Lebanon.

War in the Middle East: Iran nuclear facility hit as equivalent of ‘one classroom of children’ killed, wounded daily in Lebanon

This article is published in association with United Nations. More than 1,000 people have been killed and 2,584 injured in Lebanon since the start of the US-Israel war on Iran, UN officials said Saturday. Key points “Recent escalation has killed or wounded the equivalent of one classroom of children every day,” said Ted Chaiban, deputy chief […]
This article is published in association with United Nations.

Middle East war shockwaves ripple through Asia-Pacific fuel and supply chains

This article is published in association with United Nations. The fallout from the war in the Middle East is rippling far beyond the Gulf, disrupting fuel supplies, shipping routes and supply chains across Asia and the Pacific, with some of the region’s most vulnerable economies already feeling the strain through rising prices, rationing and threats to […]
© WFP/Jaber Badwan A woman carries food rations distributed by the World Food Programme in Almaghazi, Gaza.

Humanitarian needs in Gaza deepen as aid access remains constrained

This article is published in association with United Nations. Humanitarian needs are continuing to grow again across Gaza, the UN agency assisting Palestine refugees (UNRWA) said on Wednesday, amid mounting pressures on aid delivery and the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.  “Families face ongoing hardship” as access to essential aid remains limited and many continue […]
© WFP/Khadija Dia Food is distributed to displaced families sheltering in a school in Tariq Jdide, Beirut.

Middle East war risks pushing 45 million more people into acute hunger

This article is published in association with United Nations. The Middle East war could cause the worst disruption to lifesaving humanitarian work since COVID, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) warned on Tuesday, as the UN chief again demanded an end to the widening conflict. “The Secretary-General asserts once more that the war in the Middle […]
© World Vision Smoke rises in Beit Mery, close to the Lebanese capital, Beirut, following an airstrike.

Middle East war’s ‘spiral of conflict’ drives mounting civilian toll

This article is published in association with United Nations. The widening war in the Middle East and its growing impact on civilians came under scrutiny at the UN in Geneva on Monday, as independent experts briefing the Human Rights Council warned of escalating violence following the onset of Israeli and US strikes on Iran and counterstrikes […]
© Mousawat A mother and child displaced by the conflict in Lebanon receiving care at a clinic.

Middle East war: Women in Lebanon forced to give birth on roadside

This article is published in association with United Nations. As the UN Secretary-General touched down in Beirut on Friday in solidarity with the people of Lebanon, UN agencies highlighted the dangers for civilians and particularly pregnant women and migrant workers, amid ongoing airstrikes and rocket fire between Hezbollah fighters and Israel.  “There’s 11,600 pregnant women who […]
© WFP/Arete/Ali Yunes Some residents of Beirut who have been displaced by the conflict are now living on the streets of the Lebanese capital.

‘Perfect storm’: Lebanon crisis deepens as civilians bear the brunt

This article is published in association with United Nations. Lebanon is facing a “perfect storm of unpredictable challenges” as conflict, mass displacement and dwindling humanitarian resources converge, the UN’s Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Lebanon, Imran Riza, has warned. The current escalation began on 2 March, when outgoing fire by Hezbollah drew a strong retaliation from […]
© WFP/Maxime Le Lijour People living in Gaza have received humanitarian aid from the UN throughout the conflict with Israel.

UN relief chief condemns ‘$1 billion-a-day’ cost of war in Middle East

This article is published in association with United Nations. The UN’s emergency relief chief on Wednesday condemned the “$1 billion-a-day” cost of the war in the Middle East, at a time when humanitarian needs are soaring and aid funding is falling dangerously short. “We’re seeing the consequences spread faster than we can respond”, warned the UN emergency […]
© UNICEF/Azizullah Karimi Afghan returnees from Iran gather at the Islam-Border, near Herat in western Afghanistan (file).

‘Toxic rain’ warning from oil depot strikes amid ongoing Middle East war

This article is published in association with United Nations. Toxic “black rain” linked to strikes on oil depots, mass displacement and continuing disruption to aid supply chains are upending lives across the Middle East and beyond after 10 days of war in the region, UN humanitarians said on Tuesday.  Speaking to reporters in Geneva, UN Human […]
© UNHCR People gather at the Masnaa border point in Lebanon as they wait to cross into Syria.

Nearly 700,000 displaced in Lebanon as Middle East crisis escalates

This article is published in association with United Nations. On day 10 of the war engulfing the Middle East, UN agencies on Monday reported massive displacement across the region, along with surging food and fuel prices that risk increasing hunger and suffering for the most vulnerable. In Lebanon alone, nearly 700,000 people including around 200,000 children […]
UN Photo/Pasqual Gorriz Smoke rises in Beirut, Lebanon, following the outbreak of hostilities across the Middle East.

Lebanon ‘dragged back into turmoil’, UN envoy warns

This article is published in association with United Nations. Lebanon has been “dragged back into a state of turmoil and violence”, the UN’s top envoy in the country warned on Saturday, after the latest round of regional strikes triggered a fast‑escalating crisis along the Blue Line. What had been fragile but real momentum, she said, has […]
UNHCR Smoke rises after an airstrike in Beirut, Lebanon.

MIDDLE EAST LIVE: Strikes continue across Middle East as humanitarian concerns grow

This article is published in association with United Nations. Highlights Production team: Vibhu Mishra with Daniel Johnson in GenevaToday 12:15 μ.μ. UN rights office warns displacement orders in Lebanon affecting hundreds of thousands The UN human rights office has warned that large-scale displacement orders and ongoing airstrikes in Lebanon are worsening the suffering of civilians already affected […]

Why don't you drop your comment here?

Go back up

Discover more from The European Sting - Critical News & Insights on European Politics, Economy, Foreign Affairs, Business & Technology - europeansting.com

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading

Discover more from The European Sting - Critical News & Insights on European Politics, Economy, Foreign Affairs, Business & Technology - europeansting.com

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading

The European Sting – Critical News & Insights on European Politics, Economy, Foreign Affairs, Business & Technology – europeansting.com