Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

The EU state set for a big fight with Brussels in 2022

The EU state set for a big fight with Brussels in 2022

Poland and the European Union have been at loggerheads for much of 2021. However, this year’s travails will pale into insignificance when compared to the almighty clash that is coming down the line next year.

This year has seen Poland join Hungary as the bête noire of Brussels. The country has been at war with the EU over a range of issues, including a dispute over LGBTQ rights and arguments over climate change, border policies, the independence of judges, and most importantly, the primacy of EU law.

With regards to the last of these, the issue surrounds the Polish Constitutional Court’s ruling that Polish law has primacy over certain aspects of both EU treaties and judgements made by the European Court of Justice (ECJ). As a result, Brussels has withheld a significant amount of Covid recovery funding from Warsaw and slapped the country with eye-wateringly large fines.

This matter came to a head just before Christmas, when the European Commission launched legal proceedings against Poland. The EU’s justice commissioner, Didier Reynders, wrote, “We’ve tried to engage in a dialogue, but the situation is not improving. Fundamentals of the EU legal order, notably the primacy of EU law, must be respected.”

The plucky Poles, however, are in no mood to back down. Beata Szydlo, Poland’s former PM and now an MEP, responded, “This is not a legal dispute, but an attack on the Polish constitution [and] the foundations of Polish statehood.”


The Polish government is also not convinced that it will get a fair hearing in the EU courts. The country’s deputy PM, Jaroslaw Kaczynski, who is also the head of the ruling PiS party, claimed that the ECJ is “the basic instrument used” by the EU to impose federalist ideas. The Poles have now referred the case to their own Constitutional Court, which will rule on whether the EU has the right to link funding to the ongoing legal dispute.

What is happening forms part of a larger disagreement regarding the future direction of the EU, and it will be played out in parliaments and the courts in 2022. Poland views Brussels’ attempts to impose its laws as an attack on the country’s independence. It also sees the hand of Berlin pushing the EU towards a single federal state. Indeed, Kaczynski claimed that numerous countries “are not enthusiastic about the prospect of building a German Fourth Reich on the basis of the EU.”

Regardless of the provocative language, Kacynski does have a point. The new German government’s coalition agreement document contained a commitment to the “development of a federal European state,” which is something Poland has already determined to oppose.

Polish PM, Mateusz Morawiecki, is on record saying that “we should not expect that there will be one ‘United States of Europe’, because it will never be.” He also predicted that “frictions and tensions that are going to grow even bigger if those from Brussels, Berlin or Paris would try to push all the others towards such a state.”

It was, therefore, telling that one of the first foreign visits made by the new German chancellor, Olaf Scholz, was to Warsaw. Although he and Morawiecki exchanged kind words, there was certainly no meeting of minds. Following the meeting, the Polish PM stated that “democratic or bureaucratic centralisation” is utopian, and that instead he wanted to see an “EU made up of sovereign states.”

Clearly, the EU is dividing into two camps: those who want to move towards a federal superstate – which will mean countries handing over even more sovereignty to Brussels – and those, like Poland, who want a looser arrangement.

Poland is not alone, however, and it does have allies, including Hungary and Slovenia, which is also now in the EU’s firing line. Moreover, last week the Romanian Constitutional Court also rejected the primacy of EU law, which will surely be met with reprisals from Brussels.

So, the battle lines have been well and truly drawn, with Poland and her allies in central Europe lined up against the Brussels bureaucracy and the Berlin government, and the stakes are unbelievably high for both sides.

If Poland manages to successfully face down Brussels, then the primacy of EU law is dead. Other countries will be emboldened, follow Warsaw’s lead, and reject or ignore diktats from Brussels. And with that, discipline and cohesion in the bloc will quickly dissipate.

On the other hand, if the Polish government backs down, then it too is finished. It has upped the ante now to a point that to perform any kind of U-turn will destroy its credibility, and with that any real hope of re-election.

Both sides cannot afford to blink first, and this will be a fight to the finish. So, 2022 could be the year that makes or breaks Poland’s membership of the EU. Although the Polish government reacts furiously to any suggestion of Polexit, there can surely be no other option if it chooses to stick to its principles.

AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
One in Three Europeans Now Uses TikTok, According to the Chinese Tech Giant
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
NATO Deploys ‘Eastern Sentry’ After Russian Drones Violate Polish Airspace
The New Life of Novak Djokovic
German police raid AfD lawmaker’s offices in inquiry over Chinese payments
Volkswagen launches aggressive strategy to fend off Chinese challenge in Europe’s EV market
France Erupts in Mass ‘Block Everything’ Protests on New PM’s First Day
Poland Shoots Down Russian Drones in Airspace Violation During Ukraine Attack
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Macron Appoints Sébastien Lecornu as Prime Minister Amid Budget Crisis and Political Turmoil
Vatican hosts first Catholic LGBTQ pilgrimage
Apple Unveils iPhone 17 Series, iPhone Air, Apple Watch 11 and More at 'Awe Dropping' Event
France joins Eurozone’s ‘periphery’ as turmoil deepens, say investors
France Faces New Political Crisis, again, as Prime Minister Bayrou Pushed Out
Nayib Bukele Points Out Belgian Hypocrisy as Brussels Considers Sending Army into the Streets
France, at an Impasse, Heads Toward Another Government Collapse
The Country That Got Too Rich? Public Spending Dominates Norway Election
EU Proposes Phasing Out Russian Oil and Gas by End of 2027 to End Energy Dependence
More Than 150,000 Followers for a Fictional Character: The New Influencers Are AI Creations
EU Prepares for War
Trump Threatens Retaliatory Tariffs After EU Imposes €2.95 Billion Fine on Google
Tesla Board Proposes Unprecedented One-Trillion-Dollar Performance Package for Elon Musk
Gold Could Reach Nearly $5,000 if Fed Independence Is Undermined, Goldman Sachs Warns
Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay Secure Places at 2026 World Cup
Trump Administration Advances Plans to Rebrand Pentagon as Department of War Instead of the Fake Term Department of Defense
Big Tech Executives Laud Trump at White House Dinner, Unveil Massive U.S. Investments
Tether Expands into Gold Sector with Profit-Driven Diversification
‘Looks Like a Wig’: Online Users Express Concern Over Kate Middleton
Florida’s Vaccine Revolution: DeSantis Declares War on Mandates
Trump’s New War – and the ‘Drug Tyrant’ Fearing Invasion: ‘1,200 Missiles Aimed at Us’
"The Situation Has Never Been This Bad": The Fall of PepsiCo
At the Parade in China: Laser Weapons, 'Eagle Strike,' and a Missile Capable of 'Striking Anywhere in the World'
The Fashion Designer Who Became an Italian Symbol: Giorgio Armani Has Died at 91
Putin Celebrates ‘Unprecedentedly High’ Ties with China as Gazprom Seals Power of Siberia-2 Deal
China Unveils New Weapons in Grand Military Parade as Xi Hosts Putin and Kim
Rapper Cardi B Cleared of Liability in Los Angeles Civil Assault Trial
Google Avoids Break-Up in U.S. Antitrust Case as Stocks Rise
Couple celebrates 80th wedding anniversary at assisted living facility in Lancaster
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
The White House on LinkedIn Has Changed Their Profile Picture to Donald Trump
"Insulted the Prophet Muhammad": Woman Burned Alive by Angry Mob in Niger State, Nigeria
Trump Responds to Death Rumors – Announces 'Missile City'
Druzhba Pipeline Incident Sparks Geopolitical Tensions
Cost of Opposition Leader Péter Magyar's Economic Plan Revealed
Germany in Turmoil: Ukrainian Teenage Girl Pushed to Death by Illegal Iraqi Migrant
United Krack down on human rights: Graham Linehan Arrested at Heathrow Over Three X Posts, Hospitalised, Released on Bail with Posting Ban
Asian and Middle Eastern Investors Avoid US Markets
Ray Dalio Warns of US Shift to Autocracy
Eurozone Inflation Rises to 2.1% in August
Russia and China Sign New Gas Pipeline Deal
×