The Centre for Public Opinion Research (CBOS) asked Poles how they evaluated the recent European Commission’s actions toward Poland.
Out of those who responded, 49 percent stated that the Commission’s delay in approving the National Recovery Plan and the refusal to pay out funds to Poland from the EU Recovery Plan was an unacceptable form of pressure against the Polish government; 31 percent of Poles declared that the Commission’s actions were justified, while 20 percent did not have an opinion on the matter.
A vast majority of Law and Justice (PiS) voters (83 percent) and Confederation voters (67 percent) disapprove of the Commission’s activity. The Commission is praised mostly by opposition supporters: the Civic Platform (75 percent), the Left (71 percent) and Poland 2050 (65 percent).
The survey was carried out on 1,161 adults between October 4 and 14.
Poland is still waiting for the European Commission to approve the National Recovery Plan. The EC has been withholding its decision due to the ongoing conflict over the rule of law between Brussels and Warsaw.
According to the Commission, pressured by certain other member states, money from the Recovery Fund should not go to countries that, according to them, are not abiding by the rule of law. In July 2021, the Court of Justice of the EU (CJEU) ordered the Polish government to suspend the functioning of the Supreme Court’s Disciplinary Chamber. While Polish authorities have confirmed they would like to remove the chamber, no action to do so has been taken so far.
Moreover, in October 2021, the Polish Constitutional Tribunal ruled that some laws of the EU treaties are incompatible with the Polish constitution. On Tuesday, a debate was held on the matter in the European Parliament in which Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki took part.
On Thursday, the European Parliament passed a resolution concerning the ruling of the Polish Constitutional Tribunal. The MEPs are demanding that the approval of Poland’s National Recovery Plan be withheld. In the document, they declared that countries that systematically undermine EU values should not receive any money from the EU. They also appealed to the Commission to find a mechanism that would allow for a transfer of funds to direct beneficiaries.
