The European Commission is using the issue of LGBT to restrict funding to Polish municipalities that have adopted “Family Rights cards”, which are laws promoting family values and restricting LGBT ideology in government and the education system.
In order to appease the European Commission and ensure funding, Polish authorities are suggesting changes to local governments concerning the Family Rights cards. The move is generally seen in Poland as Brussels imposing its will on Poles and their democratically-elected representatives. In general, Poles have a far more conservative stance on LGBT issues than those in many Western European countries. For example, polling shows 64 percent of Poles are opposed to same-sex marriage, while only 27 percent support it.
Interviewed by Polsat News television channel, Polish Education Minister Czarnek was asked about a document sent to local governments by deputy minister of funds and regional policy Waldemar Buda. In the letter, doubts were expressed concerning laws against “LGBT ideology.”
“There is a suggestion in this document to change the fragments of the bills which could cause controversy. But we all know how these bills look like. There is nothing controversial in them. They simply promote the family and values on which the family is based,” Czarnek answered.
He pointed out that “notorious lies concerning those bills have led to the European Union blackmailing those regions which absolutely have not discriminated anyone and only pointed out the value of family.”
In early September, the European Commission sent a letter to the authorities of five Polish regions which adopted laws against LGBT ideology. In the letter, the commission emphasized the importance of answering the call to “remove infringements.” The European Commission gave the regional governments time until mid-September to respond and also suspended negotiations concerning payments of funds from the RE-ACT-EU program.
European Court of Justice ruling on Turów mine
Minister Czarnek also spoke about the recent European Court of Justice (ECJ) fine imposed on Poland for not adhering to the EU’s request to shut down the Turów lignite mine. The vice president of the European Court of Justice, judge Rosario Silva de Lapuerta, released an ordinance on Monday which imposed a €500,000 per day fine on Poland for not introducing interim measures and not suspending the extraction of coal in Turów.
“Mrs. Rosario Silva de Lapuerta could even impose a million euro fine per day and it would still be against the law and EU treaties,” the minister stated.
He believes that the ordinance was a radical violation of the judge’s competencies, who is also closely connected with European People’s Party politicians. The party, which once modeled itself as conservative and Christian but which has moved sharply to the left, is currently in an ideological war with Poland.
“It is outrageous for Mrs. Lapuerta to single-handedly close a whole mine, a workplace for over a thousand people and to destroy the foundations of energy security of an important European country and also ordered the country to pay for all of this,” he said.
