Poll: Polish citizens bend to EU, agree Poland should follow Brussels’ orders to receive recovery funds

Poles are decisively in favor of an agreement with the EU regarding the National Recovery Fund, a new study shows, which comes after a previous poll also showed many Poles putting EU money before values.

Poles also agree that such a deal should be made even if this would mean that Solidarity Poland (SP) can no longer remain in a coalition with Law and Justice (PiS).

SP is a party with 20 MPs who form the current government of the United Right with PiS. Polish Justice Minister Zbigniew Ziobro is Solidarity Poland’s leader.

According to the European Commission, Poland has not fulfilled the so-called milestones regarding its rule of law, which is why the Commission blocked the payment of funds from the EU Recovery Plan, with billions of euros at stake. One of the EU’s top demands is for Poland to stop judicial reforms.

Politicians from SP demand that the country changes its negotiation strategy and threaten to veto selected EU decisions.

The proposal includes the option to veto the directive regarding the tax for multinational corporations and points out that Poland can veto the increase of its contributions to the EU budget. PiS, especially Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, are skeptical of the proposal of Zbigniew Ziobro and his party.

A recent study by the Institute for Economic and Social Studies (IBRiS) for Polish media outlet Rzeczpospolita shows that most Poles support compliance with the EU demands. According to 65.8 percent of respondents, the Polish government should make concessions to the EU even at a cost of breaking the coalition with Solidarity Poland. Among these respondents, 49.9 percent “strongly support” such a solution and 15.9 percent “somewhat agree” with it.

The stance of Ziobro’s SP, according to which Poland should not agree to the proposals of EU institutions, has the support of 16.5 percent of respondents, including 13.2 percent who “definitely agree” with the thesis and 3.3 percent who say they “somewhat agree.” Another 17.6 percent of the respondents have no opinion on the matter.

The study included a breakdown by political views, which showed that 32 percent of the ruling party’s electorate believe that Poland should comply with the EU demands at the cost of breaking the coalition with Solidarity Poland. Another 39 percent are of the opposite opinion, and 29 percent have no opinion on the matter.

Supporters of the opposition are unambiguous. According to 84 percent of these respondents, Polish authorities should come to an agreement with Brussels regarding the EU Recovery Fund no matter the cost for national politics.