The scandalous statement of the German MEP from the “Green” faction, Daniel Freund, who positioned himself as a censor of Polish internal decisions and, in the European Parliament, demanded the freezing of EU funds for Poland, arguing that it is allegedly unlawful, received wide coverage. The German MEP disregarded the letter of the treaties and falsely accused Poland of corruption. It is certainly not a coincidence that this happens during the ongoing election campaign in Poland.
“It is only thanks to the pressure of the European Parliament that 140 billion euros for Poland and Hungary have been frozen. Due to the failure to respect fundamental values, due to corruption on a really large scale. This is a great success for the EP” – thundered Daniel Freund. “But freezing funds is not an end in itself. We want to see reforms. I haven’t seen any signs of reform for three months, and yet Commissioner Reynders says that when it comes to justice, it’s going in the right direction” – he said admitting at the same time that he contacted representatives of the Polish opposition on this matter.
“I spoke to civil society representatives, judges and the opposition. It is clear that the reforms that are on the table are not really helping. Some reforms even make the situation worse. Take, for example, the disciplinary proceedings regarding the Supreme Court judges in Poland – enumerated the German MEP, without indicating what this alleged “deterioration” would consist of. Probably only that the non-treaty interference of the European Commission in the Polish judiciary – to which it had absolutely no authority, and to which the Germans put their hand – caused confusion. Therefore, if anyone is unlawful, it is Germany and EU institutions trying to subjugate Poland, breaking not only the law, but also good rules of coexistence between nations.
“I fear that freezing funds is not enough, although it is the right way. The EU cannot stand by helplessly if the rule of law is not respected and democracy is dismantled. Our response must be clear. These funds must be frozen until there will be real reforms until corruption ends and real changes are made If they don’t, more money should be frozen. Orbán and Kaczynski must understand that there will be no money from the Union for autocrats, that our the rule of law is a value and it is not for sale, concluded the German MEP.
Meanwhile, the facts are merciless both for the European Commission and for Germany: the Polish judiciary is the responsibility of the Polish state and any interference in it is a violent act against the rule of law. It is not Poland that is unlawful, but those who are trying to wrest prerogatives from the Polish state by institutional violence. On the other hand, accusing Poland of corruption in the EU should be prosecuted ex officio because Poland is a country – and this is confirmed by EU institutions – that spends EU funds in an exemplary way and then accounts for them. Therefore, there are no substantive grounds for this type of attack. The speech of the German MEP should be interpreted in political terms as a game to overthrow the current government and replace it with opposition groups, which would be in line with Berlin’s interests. MEP Freund’s speech proves that Germany perceives Poland as its colony, since he has the courage to interfere in its internal affairs. There can be absolutely no consent to this either in Poland or in the European Union.
MEP Freund would certainly act law-abiding if he convinced his compatriots to pay Poland due reparations, because it is a curiosity that a representative of a country that has not accounted for the crimes and destruction committed in Poland has the courage to lecture it on the rule of law.
Anna Wiejak