Polish Law and Justice Party blames EU for its loss of power

Manipulation and unfair treatment by the EU were key reasons for the Law and Justice (PiS) party’s ouster from power after eight years in late 2023, according to a senior official of the Polish opposition party.

"EU used a lot of political and diplomatic instruments, and a lot of manipulation" against PiS, claims Arkadiusz Mularczyk, PiS leader and Poland’s former secretary of state for Europe.

PiS party was ousted from power late last year, and it was succeeded by the pro-EU government led by Prime Minister Donald Tusk.

“There was unfair information against our government, especially in the Polish but also the international media,” Mularczyk said.

PiS suffered an electoral setback following ongoing disputes with the EU over alleged rule-of-law violations and democratic regression, notably involving judicial interference. The bloc withheld funds for the EU member state, some of which are now being released to Tusk’s pro-EU government.

“The EU used a lot of political and diplomatic instruments, and a lot of manipulation, against the Polish government,” said Mularczyk.

He accused Tusk of using “a lot of forces against public media and the prosecutor’s office” since taking power.

“There was no reaction from the EU. EU leaders said everything in Poland is fine, that there is no rule of law problem under Tusk, and finally they announced that funds would be open to the Tusk government,” said Mularczyk.

He rejected the EU’s allegations against the former PiS government as “untrue and unfair,” stressing that it was “a political instrument” used against the party.

There were “a lot of double standards” and the EU was “instrumentalizing its power,” Mularczyk said.

Source: AA