We face a threat to the foundations of the European Union, said MEP Juan Fernando Lopez Aguilar (Socialists and Democrats) during the debate in the European Parliament regarding the Polish law establishing a special commission to investigate Russia’s influence, known as “lex Tusk.” Four groups in the European Parliament agreed that it should be organized “urgently.” “The Polish ruling party is on a warpath against democracy to win the elections at any cost,” said Dutch Green Party member Tineke Strik. Former Polish Prime Minister Beata Szydo stated that “this debate demonstrates that Russian influence is very strong.”
During a vote in the plenary hall on Wednesday, MEPs decided to include on the agenda a debate on the Polish law establishing a special commission to investigate Russia’s influence, called “lex Tusk”. President Andrzej Duda signed it on Monday, but at the same time announced that he would refer it to the Constitutional Tribunal in a subsequent procedure.
448 MEPs took part in the vote in the EP, 344 were in favour, 97 against, and seven abstained.
MEP Andrzej Halicki (PO) announced “urgent” debate plans on Tuesday evening. Four European Parliament groups—the European People’s Party, Socialists, and Democrats, Renew Europe, and the Greens—agreed on this.
“Situation that the European Commission is watching with great concern”
The debate in the European Parliament began around 7 p.m. Representing the Swedish Presidency of the EU Council, Minister for Rural Areas, Peter Kullgren, said that “respect for democracy, human rights, and the rule of law are crucial for the entire European Union”. – That is why it is one of the priorities of our Presidency. The EU institutions and Member States are responsible for ensuring that our values are respected, he stressed.
It’s only natural for all EU nations to look into reports of Russian meddling, but they must do so within the bounds of the law. He added that the EU Council is monitoring the latest developments in Poland.
Justice Commissioner Didier Reynders stressed that the introduction of the law “is a situation that the European Commission is watching with great concern”. He pointed out that the US State Department had a similar opinion on this issue.
He expressed concerns about the compliance of the provisions with the EU law. “From what we understand, the Act gives the administrative body a lot of power that could be used to strip people of public functions and limit their rights,” Reynders said.
He added that on Tuesday he talked about it with the Polish Minister for EU Affairs, Szymon Szynkowski vel Sęk. – Today (Wednesday – ed.), as a continuation of our call, I sent a letter to the minister asking for additional information on the new law. The Commission will carefully study this new law and any further changes in this regard, he said.
The EU Justice Commissioner also referred to the ongoing dispute with the Polish government regarding changes in the judiciary. At the same time, he mentioned the doubts of the European Commission regarding the National Council of the Judiciary, the Supreme Court, and the Constitutional Tribunal.
“Polish ruling party is on a warpath against democracy”
– I am here to warn you because “lex Tusk” is not another law that breaks the Constitution. This is a special, new tool, a modus operandi of authoritarian power, which knows that it is losing social trust and wants to keep power by force, said Andrzej Halicki (European People’s Party).
– It used to be like that in the times of the People’s Republic of Poland, and that’s exactly how it is now in Poland. This power has one scenario of action: to accuse others of what it does itself, he added.
– We must remember that we are dealing with a threat to the foundations of the European Union. Its existence is questioned, said Juan Fernando Lopez Aguilar (Socialists and Democrats).
The Spanish MEP said that “We are dealing with a shocking event”. – We see what actions the government and the ruling party are trying to take. Commissioner Reynders, this must be stopped, this law cannot be implemented, he appealed.
Róża Thun (Renew Europe Group) pointed out that “this commission is strictly political”. – This commission intends to exclude people from the possibility of participating in public life. This is not a problem of one party or one person. This is a big problem for all of us, she added.
Tineke Strik (Group of the Greens/European Free Alliance) assessed that “the Polish ruling party is on a warpath against democracy to win the elections at all costs.” The Dutchwoman added that “the introduced law uses Russian aggression to remove opposition candidates from electoral lists and to silence critical forces.”
Szydło: this debate shows that Russian influence is very strong
Beata Szydło (European Conservatives and Reformists) said that “three simple questions arise in connection with this debate”. – Do all of you, who voted for this debate to take place today, know the Polish constitution? Do you know the text of the law you are debating? And above all, why do you oppose the creation of such commissions that function in other countries? – she asked.
The former Polish prime minister assessed that “it is good that such a commission has been established in Poland”. – If we talk about how strong the Russian influence is, this debate shows that it is very strong – she added.
“What we are seeing in Poland is the final, designed attack against democracy and democracy in Poland”
Paulo Rangel (European People’s Party Group) assessed that “what we see in Poland is the final, designed attack against democracy and democracy in Poland in particular.” “After this attack, there will be nothing but a government-controlled judiciary, a government-controlled media, and an opposition silenced by the government,” he said.
– This is not about Russia. When we see a law like this that kills democracy, the rule of law, respect for human rights, the opposition, and free and fair elections, we can see who is really influenced by Russia, he added.
Sergey Lagodinsky (Green Group) pointed out that “Polish society has made a huge contribution to the defense of Ukrainian democracy.” – We defended and still defend Ukrainian freedom. And now it’s time to defend democracy in Poland. We owe it to all Polish citizens because these elections will be a very important point in the history of the European Union. The EC must be determined to protect the rule of law in Poland. We should immediately block the legalization of electoral fraud, said the German MEP.
The former head of the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Radosław Sikorski, also spoke during the debate. – This is not a parliamentary committee; it is outside the parliament. It is run from the prime minister’s office and can be attended by people who are not members of parliament, he said.
– It does not meet democratic standards. It does not guarantee the rights of persons facing this commission, the definition of Russian influence has not been defined, there is no effective appeal process, the chairman is both a judge and a prosecutor; and yet the commission has the powers of a court, he pointed out.
Tarczyński: face your mistakes and do not teach us about the rule of law.
Jaki: You know very well that here (in the European Parliament) such a commission would be even more useful
MEPs associated with PiS and the ruling camp defended the introduced act.
You have no right to wave your finger in front of Polish face, you have no right until you face your mistakes made with regards to the corruption scandal. Take stock for yourself and do not teach us about the rule of law – said Dominik Tarczyński.
– I am not surprised that you want to ban the activities of the commission for examining Russian influence in Poland, because you know very well that such a commission would be even more useful here – said Patryk Jaki.
– After the attack on Ukraine in 2014 and the annexation of Crimea, you continued to do business with Russia, sell weapons to Putin, and build Nord Stream. Putin corrupted your politicians. The Kremlin’s payroll includes: former chancellor of Germany, prime ministers of France and Austria, he said. “You know that your support for Putin is the biggest scandal in Europe, that’s why you try to hide it,” he added.
Beata Mazurek said that “This law is not lex Tusk, it is lex anti-Putin”. – The appointment of the commission is part of the activities that we want to undertake to clean up public life from the influence of Russian agents. It meets all democratic criteria, it will operate on the basis of the law, she added.
EU Commissioner: The Commission will not hesitate to act
The EU General Affairs Council discussed Poland’s rule of law on Tuesday. Instead of Szymon Szynkowski aka Sęk, Poland’s Ambassador to the EU, Andrzej Sadoś, attended the meeting.
Justice Commissioner Didier Reynders spoke before the meeting of the EU Council. – We are particularly concerned about the Polish law on the special commission. (…) The European Commission will not hesitate to act in this case, if necessary, he announced.
He pointed out that the European Commission is particularly concerned about “the Polish law on a special commission, which may deprive citizens, individuals of their right to be elected to perform public functions.”He also said that such removal would be possible through an administrative decision “without any judicial review”.
