Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki launched a scathing attack on the European Union, accusing the bloc of being democratic in name only, and slamming the dominance of France and Germany who often ignore the dissenting voices of other member states.
In a recent article for German newspaper Die Welt on Wednesday, the Polish premier claimed that European elites had refused to listen to Polish warnings about Russia prior to the country’s invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, and claimed the valid concerns of less powerful member states were all too often overlooked by the Franco-German dominated EU institutions.
“On paper, all member states are equal,” Morawiecki wrote. “But the political reality shows that the weight of the German and French voices is dominant. We are dealing with a formal democracy but a de facto oligarchy where the power is held by those who are the strongest.”
“The strong make mistakes and are unable to accept criticism from outside,” he added.
The Polish prime minister reiterated the need to suppress “the threat of imperialism within the EU,” in the same way as Russian imperialism has been combated, and called for change within Brussels to put “the common good and equality back at the top of the EU’s principles.”
Morawiecki has clashed with some of the most powerful Brussels bureaucrats in recent times over the European Commission’s refusal to release coronavirus recovery funds to Warsaw until the Polish government implements legislative judiciary reforms requested by Brussels.
Despite the national government’s attempts to appease the EU institutions, the leader of the governing Law and Justice (PiS) party, Jarosław Kaczyński, told a rally in the Polish city of Płock last month that “enough is enough.” He further insisted: “We have demonstrated good will. From the point of view of the treaties, we have no obligation to listen to the EU on the way we organize our judicial system. None at all.”
In a similar vein, Morawiecki claimed in his Die Welt op-ed that “it is the member states and not the EU institutions that must decide on the direction and priorities of EU action.” He also said the bloc must not proceed to operate with the continuous “domination of the strongest” nations.
