Polish PM expects big changes in Brussels after European elections

The Polish Prime Minister, Mateusz Morawiecki has told The Financial Times that this year's elections to the European Parliament" will lead to big changes for Brussels." He also criticised the EC's actions regarding judicial reforms in Poland.

"Brussels and the European Commission need to be very receptive to what is going on in different countries," Morawiecki said, stressing that particular countries, especially Central European states, "will need to be heard much more clearly."

The Polish PM stressed that as an institution, the EU needed reform. He added that most PMs he talked to agreed that there was a need for a serious reorganisation of procedures and institutions, "but everyone is waiting for the European elections."

The Polish prime minister rejected suggestions that Central European countries were heading towards authoritarianism, and described them as completely wrong.

"People from Brussels completely do not understand the situation in post-communist countries," he underlined, explaining that the judicial reform in Poland was necessary to root out the last remains of Poland's communist past.

Referring to the ongoing 'yellow vest' protests in France, the Polish PM said he would not say that France had an issue with the rule of law, but added that if such brutal police interventions against demonstrators took place in Poland, this would surely be criticised by Brussels, Berlin or maybe Paris.

Morawiecki emphasised that if the EC did not withdraw Poland's case from the CJEU, this would mean that EU officials were using the dispute with Warsaw for political goals.

The PM stressed that the time had come for an EC move as the authorities in Warsaw had already done a lot.