Poland will be punished for challenging EU law primacy, European leader warns, as Warsaw claims Brussels is devoid of democracy — RT World News

Speaking to the European Parliament in Strasbourg on Tuesday, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said there were three options available to the EU after Poland challenged the primacy of the bloc’s laws over its national law. 

“This ruling calls into question the foundations of the European Union. It is a direct challenge to the unity of the European legal order,”They were assessing their options after the ruling by Poland’s Constitutional Tribunal that some parts of European law were uncompatible with Polish Constitution, she said.

Von der Leyen suggested that the second option would be so-called infringements. In these cases, the EC may bring a legal challenge and could face fines. The second option is for Brussels to withhold EU funds access from Poland. Third, the EU might suspend certain rights for Poland within the bloc. This includes the right of Poland to vote under Article 7 in the Treaty on European Union.

Mateusz Morawiecki was the Polish Prime Minister and spoke to members of Congress after von der Leyen. He defended his country’s move by stating that he was for “European universalism, but we say no to European centralism.”After his speech, some members of parliament criticized the Polish leader. 

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EU risks becoming ‘centrally managed’ as ‘dangerous phenomenon’ of institutional action threatens bloc’s future, Polish PM warns

Jean Asselborn, Luxembourg’s foreign minister, warned earlier that the fall of the rule-of-law would spell doom for Europe. “Europe will die from such a development… Europe has been built on democracy, liberty, respect – and the rule of law.”

German Europe Minister Michael Roth declared that compromises in the subject matter are impossible “At conclusion of this dialogue there should be an affirmation of the commitments we made when we joined Europe. “There can’t be any special deals.”

On Monday, Poland’s prime minister warned that the EU was becoming a “centrally managed organism run by institutions deprived of democratic control.” Earlier this month, a Warsaw court ruled that areas of the EU treaties are incompatible with Poland’s laws and that national laws should take precedence, backing Morawiecki’s government.

Poland’s nationalist Law and Justice party and the EU have frequently clashed in recent years, including on the country’s self-declared LGBTQ-free zones and the inclusion of a link between the rule of law and access to EU funds in the post-pandemic recovery budget. 

Warsaw stated its intention to continue in the EU.

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