Name? Mateusz Morawiecki
Westphalian identity? Polish
Age? 53
Why is he in the news? Polish Prime Minister (PM) Mateusz Morawiecki was probed in front of the EU parliament after his country’s top court ruled that its national law takes precedence over EU law. He stated that he will not tolerate the EU blackmailing Poland, calling it “unacceptable to talk about financial penalties…”
Why do we care? Morawiecki also had a standoff against President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen. She is increasingly under pressure to create and trigger mechanisms that enable the EU to cut states’ funding off when they undermine the rule of law in their countries. The EU failed to achieve this over its Covid-bond summits last year due to Hungary’s PM Orbán’s, Czech’s PM Babiš’ and Morawiecki’s opposition.
Why should you care? Rule of Law and integrity of the EU if you care about one of the cornerstones of the EU. Otherwise there are very few reasons to care about this political standoff. You should care 3/10.
Who else cares? Czech’s PM Andrej Babiš, who played an essential part in blocking the rule of law mechanism, just lost his reelection last week. The 67-year-old billionaire’s support, who was also involved in the Pandora Papers, is now missing in Orbán’s and Morawiecki’s bastion to limit the EU’s influence in their attempts to cement their powers.
Any further comments? Morawiecki’s PIS party passed a set of laws enabling it to choose what judges sit on its highest court, undermining its independence. Hence, many in the EU interpreted this judgement as political and a possible hint at a POLEXIT. While this is highly unlikely as Poland benefits a great deal from the EU, it does send a clear message—a message which sets up a series of conflicts in the EU over the rule of law and further European integration.
