"We are witnessing a blatant violation of democratic standards" - Poland's Justice Minister and chairman of the United Poland party Zbigniew Ziobro said on Thursday. He was referring to the resolution adopted by the European Parliament regarding the so-called conditionality mechanism.
The European Parliament voted on Thursday to sue the European Commission over what lawmakers say is its failure to uphold the rule of law, in a dispute that could affect the allocation of billions of euros in EU aid.
Members of the Parliament (MEPs) voted 506 to 150, with 28 abstentions, in favour of a resolution to take the EU executive to the European Court of Justice for dragging its feet over applying a new regulation - technically in force since Jan. 1 - that makes EU governments' access to funds conditional on their respect for the rule of law and democratic norms.
Justice Minister Zbigniew Ziobro, Minister without Portfolio Michał Wójcik, MEP Patryk Jaki, and Deputy Justice Minister Sebastian Kaleta, all members of Poland's junior coalition partner the United Poland, commented on the EU parliament's decision at a press conference.
"We are witnessing a blatant violation of democratic standards shared by countries, which respect the fact and essence of democratic elections, as well as consequences that may emerge for individual states" - said minister Ziobro.
In his opinion, the resolution adopted by the EU parliament proves that the bloc wants to "brutally and through blackmail impose its own convictions and beliefs, which are contrary to those expressed through democratic election".
Ziobro added that the EU, despite the choice expressed by the Polish people in democratic elections, wanted to "impose its worldview, its often ideological agenda, by employing economic blackmail as a tool". He added that he, as well as his party, had warned against adopting the resolution in question.
Furthermore, the minister said there could be only one answer: "A firm protest and no consent to this sort of interfering in competencies belonging exclusively to Polish authorities and protected by the Polish constitution, as well as no consent to imposing, through economic blackmail, one's will and ideological agenda on the Polish state".
Źródło: TVN24 News in English, TVN24, Reuters