PM's arguments in EP debate not 'credible' says opposition leader

The Polish prime minister failed to make a credible case to the European Parliament during a debate on the rule of law in Poland, Donald Tusk has said.

Mateusz Morawiecki, the prime minister, made a speech to the parliament to put Poland’s case during the debate that focused on a ruling by Poland’s Constitutional Tribunal which challenged the supremacy of EU law over national law.

The ruling has prompted accusations in Brussels that the Polish government is undermining the rule of law, while also deepening a rift between Poland and the EU.

At a press conference following the debate, Tusk, the leader of Poland's main opposition party, Civic Platform, said that he regretted Poland had not been presented as an ambitious nation that achieved success thanks to European integration.

"Today we were witnesses to a head-on collision between the Law and Justice (PiS) government and a wall," said Tusk. "None of the arguments presented by the representatives of the PiS government during this debate have convinced any political parties or European Union countries."

He added that the arguments presented by Prime Minister Morawiecki and the PiS MEPs who support him were not seen as "credible."