Jacek Rostowski appeared on Sky News to discuss the likelihood of Poland leaving the European Union following disagreements over domestic and European law supremacy. Mr Rostowski noted over 80 percent of Poles back remaining in the EU and stated it was very unlikely to see any referendum leading to a Brexit-style arrangement. However, the former deputy prime minister admitted it was ultimately redundant what the public thought as Poland moves to a more authoritarian regime anyway and it could still force a Polexit by a simple vote in its parliament’s lower house.
The Polish Constitutional Court ruled on October 8 that its rules superseded EU law – a finding Ursula von der Leyen has branded “deeply concerning”.
Mr Morawiecki repeatedly stressed the legal issue would not push apart the EU and Poland and it was perfectly manageable to see Poland and the bloc have different legal systems.
However, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen argued the constitutional ruling from Poland challenges the unity of the EU’s legal order.
The EU has now come under pressure to withhold billions of Euros worth of Covid recovery funds to force Poland to play along.
Around one-fifth of Poles are now in favour of Poland leaving the EU, according to the latest polls by United Surveys.
This is the highest level of support for Poland’s Leave campaign since polling began in 2004.
Speaking on Sky News, Mr Rostowski explained despite huge public support to remain in the EU, it ultimately was redundant as a vote could be forced regardless if backed in the Polish parliament.
He explained: “The Polish government would have to want to leave with 85 percent of the people wanting to stay and that’s going to be hard to do.
“I think one of the things, the main thing they’re thinking about is actually pushing through this undermining and destruction of the independence of the courts so as to establish their own and make themselves impregnable.
“Not just politically but also individually, they’re accused of all sorts of misdoings, among other things, corruption and misuse of funds.
“So that’s really the main battle of what’s going on with the moment but at the same time, it’s not impossible that if this goes on long enough they might try to take Poland down to the European Union just to have simple votes of the lower house of parliament.
“Where they have a wafer-thing two-seat majority.”
Mr Rostowski added further tensions with the EU could galvanise Mr Morawiecki’s supporters in parliament to push for a vote and could be a way for the Government to have a mandate for leaving the European Union.
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In a letter written to the EU leaders, Mr Morawiecki accused the bloc of “punishing” and “starving” his country, with threats to withhold £48billion of Covid recovery funds if they failed to bend to the EU’s will.
Mr Morawiecki said: “We ought to be anxious about the gradual transformation of the union into an entity that would cease to be an alliance of free, equal and sovereign states and instead become a single, centrally managed organism, run by institutions deprived of democratic control by the citizens.
“The language of financial blackmail, punishment, ‘starving’ of unsubordinated states, undemocratic and centralist pressures do not have a place in European politics. Such language strikes not only at individual states but the entire community.”
Warsaw and Brussels have been at odds since 2015 over a series of issues including media freedoms and LGBT rights. Their tense relations are culminating in a disagreement about EU laws.
Hungary, which has also clashed with the European Union, has thrown its support behind Poland over the ongoing row.
Hungarian justice minister Judit Varga, back in 2019, described the EU mission as a “witch-hunt” – a stance that she still maintains, reinforcing the two countries’ shared view on the bloc and making them strong allies.