Poland’s right-wing Prime Minister Beata Szydlo vowed on Friday that her government would never bow to any EU ultimatum and accused some members of the European Commission of trying to “destroy” the 28-member bloc.
Ms Szydlo was responding to a Monday deadline set by the Commission for Poland to reverse a controversial overhaul of the country’s top court that has set off a fiery dispute between Warsaw and Brussels.
“Poland will never succumb to any ultimatum,” she said during a stormy debate in parliament, adding that there are some in the European Commission who want to destroy the European Union rather than see it developing.
The EU’s executive arm warned earlier this week that it could take further action against Poland because of concerns over the commitment of the governing Law and Justice (PiS) to the rule of law.
“If there is no significant progress by May 23, then the First vice-president, Frans Timmermans, will be empowered to adopt the draft rule of law opinion,” the commission said in a statement on Wednesday.
The exact contents of the opinion are not known, but if Warsaw fails to address the issues raised, it could eventually face a suspension of voting rights in the European council of ministers, the EU’s most important decision-making body.
However, Poland’s regional ally Hungary is likely to torpedo any possible sanctions, which would require the unanimous approval of all 28 EU members.
In Friday’s parliamentary debate, leaders of Poland’s liberal opposition party the Civic Platform blasted Ms Szydlo for “desecrating the constitution” and “burning more bridges with Europe”.
