EU crisis: Polish MEPs spark Brussels panic after standing ovation for 'POLEXIT' demands

THERE IS increasing fear in Brussels that another country is about follow Britain in leaving the EU, as the leader of the governing Law and Justice Party in Poland said this morning that "Poles deserve to live in a sovereign state".

By OLI SMITH

PUBLISHED: 09:37, Sat, Jan 18, 2020 | UPDATED: 10:21, Sat, Jan 18, 2020



Polexit was trending on Twitter this morning, after several leading Polish politicians hit back at the EU for interfering in its domestic reforms. A British Brexiteer MEP recieved a standing ovation from his Polish counterparts after he urged the Polish Government to follow the UK and quit the European Union. Even Jarosław Kaczyński, the former Prime Minister and current Polish MEP, threatened to quit the EU, saying today that "Poles deserve to live in a sovereign state".

On Thursday, Brexit Party MEP Ben Habib urged Poland to join the UK in ditching the European Union.

Speaking to huge applause from the ruling Law and Justice MEPs, Mr Habib told his Polish colleagues: “Poland is one of the greatest nations in Europe and in the EU.

"It is not for an institution that has appointed a political court, where the ECJ has 28 political appointments, it is not for an institution that has a government in the form of the commission that is entirely unelected, to hold to account the Law and Justice Party that has been elected twice to govern Poland, on the manifesto of reforming the judiciary.

“Do not put up with the ignominious judgment of this institution. POLEXIT: You will find a friendship in the United Kingdom and we will support you.”

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Polexit was trending on Twitter after several Polish politicians hit back at the EU (Image: IG)

Jarosław Kaczyński, the former Prime Minister and current Polish MEP, threatened to quit the EU, saying that "Poles deserve to live in a sovereign state" (Image: IG)

Mr Habib later tweeted: "The contempt with which the ex-PM (now MEP) of Poland was treated in the chamber was unacceptable.

"I am convinced that Brexit spells the beginning of the end of the EU."

On Wednesday, MEP Patryk Jaki unleashed a fierce rant against the EU, telling the European Parliament: "You say the rule of law doesn't exist in Poland but it's doing great in France?

"What about French judges and lawyers protesting in the court of appeal? The French police used force against them!

The row between the EU and Poland escalated on Wednesday when the European Parliament debated the Article 7 probes (Image: GETTY)

“You people are ridiculous! You have a problem with Poland because we aren't on a German leash anymore!"

Leading Polish opposition party MEP Andrzej Halicki said that if the Government is not removed, he fears that "Poland will leave the EU". 

In response to the standing ovation, Brexit Party MEP Alexandra Phillips tweeted: "Belting speech from @benhabib6.

"Whatever you think of Poland's current government, it has been democratically elected. It is not for the EU technocracy to start poking its nose into the country's domestic affairs."

Last weekend, judges from across Europe marched through Warsaw as part of a protest (Image: GETTY)
The row between the EU and Poland escalated on Wednesday when the European Parliament debated the Article 7 probes underway against Poland and Hungary.

During the debate, MEPs called on EU countries on Wednesday to set concrete demands and deadlines for Hungary and Poland, which have been under prolonged EU scrutiny over the rule of law and judicial independence.

They warned that the EU’s discussions with Poland and Hungary have not yet led these countries to realign with the EU’s founding values. 

Last weekend, judges from across Europe marched through Warsaw as part of a protest against the mounting pressure on the independence of their Polish counterparts.

https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/1229645/Poland-MEPs-Brussels-Polexit-Brexit-European-Parliament-EU-latest-news

Poland’s president wants a referendum on the EU

Flirting with Polexit?

Most Poles are keen to stay

TWO years ago Poland looked on in disbelief as the British voted for Brexit. Now the country may face its own vote. 

Jun 20th 2018| WARSAW

Andrzej Duda, the president, wants to tackle the question of Poland’s relationship with the EU in a broader referendum on constitutional reform this autumn, on the centenary of Polish independence after the first world war. With relations between the ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party and Brussels fraught, and Brexit looming, the proposal has raised eyebrows. If the referendum gets the Senate’s go-ahead, Europe will be watching.

Mr Duda, a former PiS member, has long argued that Poland’s 1997 constitution needs updating. On June 12th he proposed 15 questions spanning a hotch-potch of subjects, from social policy to food security, adding a reference to “Poland’s and Europe’s over-thousand-year Christian heritage” to the preamble. Two of the questions focus on Poland’s relationship with the EU. The first asks whether Poland’s EU membership should be constitutionally guaranteed. The other asks whether the constitution should enshrine its own primacy over international and European law.

The timing is awkward. The Polish government is locked in a protracted dispute with the European Commission, which has warned that its judicial reforms undermine the rule of law. Twenty-seven out of 72 Supreme Court judges will be forced to retire at the start of July. Time is running out: Warsaw has been given until June 26th to assuage Brussels’ concerns. If not, Warsaw might in theory have its voting rights in the EU suspended, though that remains unlikely. More realistically, the European Commission wants to establish a mechanism that could cut EU funds, of which Poland is the biggest beneficiary, for countries where the rule of law is at risk.

Neither Mr Duda nor PiS is calling for a “Polexit”. But since PiS came to power in 2015 Eurosceptic rhetoric has surged. Like Viktor Orban, the Hungarian prime minister, PiS opposes what he recently called “delusional nightmares of a United States of Europe”. “Sovereignty” is the buzz word in Warsaw. In a speech last month, Mr Duda went so far as to liken EU membership to the 1795 partition of Poland, which wiped the country off the map for 123 years.

Poles remain broadly pro-European. Some 70% of them think that EU membership is good for the country, above the EU average of 60%, according to the latest Eurobarometer survey. Few want Poland to leave the EU (11%, compared to 83% for staying in). Meanwhile, enthusiasm for the referendum remains low. Even PiS has kept its distance, fearing a poor turnout.

Still, Mr Duda’s questions have caused a stir. Among liberals, they have stoked fears that PiS is leading the country towards Polexit. Meanwhile, on June 16th, the (tiny) National Movement announced efforts to lead Poland out of the EU. Mr Duda argues that enshrining Poland’s EU membership in the constitution will “strengthen” its presence in the bloc. Yet, as Britain’s referendum shows, he is playing with fire.

https://www.economist.com/europe/2018/06/20/polands-president-wants-a-referendum-on-the-eu