Poland still has cards up its sleeve to turn the tables on Brussels and unlock tens of billions in EU funding that are still being withheld, said senior conservative Law and Justice (PiS) MEP Jacek Saryusz-Wolski in an interview for the Sieci weekly newspaper.
As long as Poland is prepared to turn the tables on Brussels, in a way that Spain has done in the past, it can still get its way, argued Saryusz-Wolski.
Saryusz-Wolski advised the Polish government to concentrate on seven weapons it has at its disposal.
First of all, it should take the European Commission to the European Court of Justice (ECJ) for unlawfully blocking Poland’s access to the EU Recovery Fund. Poland should not have any illusions that the ECJ will rule in Poland’s favor, but such as move is warranted in order to expose the commission’s malevolent behavior and improve its negotiating position. It would help move Poland from defense to attack.
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Second, Poland should actually borrow the money on the markets for projects it actually needs, rather than green investments. If Brussels is unwilling to fund the green economy, than Poland must move ahead with other projects.
Third, Poland should question the whole EU Recovery Fund since it was set up on the basis of an understanding that has been broken. This can be done at a diplomatic and legislative level.
The fourth measure proposed by Saryusz-Wolski should be to block the ‘Fit for 55’ initiative.
Fifth, Poland should veto the EU ETS and CBAM payments, which amount to taxes on carbon footprints and the tax on multinational corporations.
Sixth, Poland should prepare for exiting the ETS system and the EU’s climate policies.
Finally, the seventh ace would be to call a referendum on whether Poland should realize the EU’s climate objectives at a time of energy crisis and war in Ukraine. The Polish MEP argues that the last move would be politically explosive, as it could easily spark broad protests in other member states against climate ideology.
