Poland’s Law and Justice party leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski played down an EU investigation into recent legislation, saying Poland has to go its own way and not yield to any pressures.
The EU on Wednesday began an unprecedented inquiry into whether Poland’s new conservative, Euroskeptic government has breached the EU’s democratic standards by taking more control of the judiciary and public media.
“There is no sense in being concerned about this,” said Kaczynski, who holds no formal government post, but is widely believed to be in overall charge of the EU’s largest eastern member state.
Photo: Reuters
“We have to go our own way and not yield to any pressures. No one can have any illusions that there will be some surrender or any compromises,” Kaczynski said in an interview for the Rzeczpospolita daily published on the newspaper’s Web site on Saturday evening.
He also said there was no unanimity in the EU regarding potential sanctions being imposed on Poland, which would make it impossible for the European Council to approve the sanctions in a vote.
“This will de facto close the discussion,” Kaczynski said.
Hungarian Prime Minister Victor Orban has already said he would veto sanctions — a move that would in any case be considered only after a process under which the European Commission can recommend changes to national legislation and then wait to see if they are implemented.
Kaczynski and Orban met earlier this month.
The EU’s decision to launch the investigation was preceded by a letter by EU Vice President Frans Timmerman, urging Poland’s government to implement the rulings of its Constitutional Tribunal and review freedom of speech issues raised by a media law.
“We are being attacked for nothing... if anywhere political correctness and law ban speaking then not in Poland,” Kaczynski said.
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