PiS leader Jarosław Kaczyński made it clear over the weekend that there would be no more compromises with the EU. “Enough is enough,” he told the party faithful at a rally in Płock, central Poland, commenting on the continuous demands coming from the European Commission with regard to judicial reforms in Poland.
“We have shown the maximum good will possible. According to the treaties, we have no obligation to listen to the EU with regard to our judicial system. None whatsoever,“ Kaczyński said.
We have come to a dead end. Poland has swallowed many bitter pills agreeing to far-reaching changes in its judicial system and milestones that weigh heavily in a variety of areas. Polish officials spent many weeks negotiating the details, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen had the red carpet rolled out for her when she came to Warsaw.
The agreement with the Commission was undermined the moment after it was signed. We received more demands from Brussels, and von der Leyen announced that she wanted the leader of the opposition, Donald Tusk, to be the Polish prime minister after the next election.
The gloves are off, and there can be no more illusions. We were right to be constructive and to negotiate in good faith, compromising wherever possible. We wanted agreement, but were spurned. It is crystal clear now that this has nothing to do with the details and everything to do with brutal politics.
Poland could do with funding from the operational program of the EU recovery fund, but we can manage without it. Our national debt is relatively low, and the economy is in good condition. That should see us through to the election. And those who thought that the issue of EU funding would be decisive in changing the way the electorate behaves have been proven wrong. The polls have not moved, and the Polish political scene is the same as it was before the dispute.
However, if “enough is enough,” then we have to be ready for the next steps. Poland must gather what it needs to be able to fight its corner. It must veto and block what it can. It must raise taxes in those areas of the economy where tax rates have been historically very low.
We will remember one thing: We are getting stabbed in the back at a time when we are supporting Ukraine militarily and receiving millions of refugees, and when we are ourselves being threatened with aggression. This is effectively the new Munich. A betrayal. All of the EU’s talk of solidarity and mutual support has turned out to be false, and we cannot rely on them.
