Polish PM calls for reform against EU ‘imperialism’

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki accused the European Union of imperialistic behaviour towards smaller member states in an op-ed published on the Welt news website on Wednesday.

“Political practice has shown that the positions of Germany and France count more than all the others,” Morawiecki wrote for the German news outlet, calling for a more consensus-based approach.

“So we are dealing with a formal democracy and a de facto oligarchy in which the strongest hold power,” he said, adding that EU imperialism must be combated as well as Russian imperialism.

The prime minister, whose nationalist Law and Justice (PiS) government has clashed repeatedly with Brussels over rule of law issues, said the Russian invasion of Ukraine had thrown a spotlight on the EU’s shortcomings.

He called for “profound reform that puts the common good and equality back at the forefront of the union’s principles.”

Ruling party politicians in Poland have said Warsaw could hit back at the EU if the country does not get its share of pandemic recovery funds. Brussels has signalled it is not satisfied with Poland’s latest judicial reforms.