Rarely has the formation of a government in Europe triggered such euphoria in social institutions. After years of tug-of-war between Brussels and Warsaw, the return to power followed Donald Tuskwho was already Prime Minister of the country and President of the European Council between 2014 and 2019, was one of the best news of the course.
Last week the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and the new Polish leader promised to “make up lost ground.” Relations between the European Commission and the nationalist Justice and Justice Authority have been stormy in recent years. After opening numerous infringement procedures for what Brussels defines as an authoritarian tendency characterized by the persecution of judges and the plurality of the media, Warsaw found itself confronted with what is referred to in the Community corridors as the “nuclear button” and the could lead to the loss of the right of veto in the Council. In addition, parts of the country’s European funds have been frozen due to deficiencies in the application of the rule of law.
Tusk, a member of the European People’s Party and well-known in the municipal corridors, promises to bring Poland back on the European path after years of strife. Even if paying out the withheld funds is now a priority, one of the questions that arises is how Tusk’s return can shape the balance of power in the council. So far, it has been impossible to make Article 7 a success, since unanimity of capitals is required to impose the harshest punishments, and the alliance with Hungary, which was also tabled, left this mechanism in a labyrinth with no way out. After the arrival of Tusk, the Hungarian Prime Minister, Viktor Orbanloses a powerful ally, forcing it to seek new friends among its European counterparts and predictably rely on smaller countries.
Tusk’s return also manages to calm the waters at a particularly delicate moment, as the EU considers expansion to include Ukraine and the Western Balkan countries, a risky geopolitical operation that will change the club’s face and balance becomes . power.
The ongoing disputes with one of the states that took part in the so-called Big Bang of 2004 called into question the entire process and the accession of new members, which was called “enlargement fatigue” in the corridors of the institutions.
In addition, people are waiting to see what could happen in the Netherlands, where the party with the most votes is the extreme right Geert WildersWith openly Eurosceptic positions, the Community institutions have managed to eliminate an opposition front.
As a sign of the new Prime Minister’s interest in shaping his relations with Brussels, he traveled to the Community capital on October 26, when he had not yet taken office and was still head of the opposition. Although the party with the most votes in the elections on the 15th remained Law and Justice, Tusk’s alliance with two other parties made another government option unrealistic.
The president of the country, Andrzej Dudawho belongs to Law and Justice, prevented as much as possible Tusk’s inauguration, which took place just this week, in time to attend the final summit of the year last Thursday and Friday.
In a sign that a new era is beginning in relations between Brussels and Warsaw, the country will receive 5 billion euros to decarbonize its economy, before funds held back after the pandemic are paid out for the first time. In this way, the country will have access to 6.3 billion if the Tusk government takes the necessary steps to ensure the independence of the judiciary. The country is also taking the first steps to join the European Anti-Fraud Prosecutor’s Office.
“Concern about the rule of law has slowed our ability to help Poland modernize its economy and implement the green and digital transition,” von der Leyen said last Friday, while Tusk praised him for the “Christmas present” in the form of the 5,000 million thanked Euro, which will preserve the country, and underlined his good harmony with Von der Leyen. The honeymoon between Brussels and Warsaw has begun.