“It’s Europe à la carte”, protested this Friday on franceinfo, Georges Mink, emeritus research director at the CNRS, specialist in Poland.
“It’s a game with Brussels that can end very badly”, said Friday October 8 on franceinfo, Georges Mink, emeritus research director at CNRS, specialist in Poland, while the day before, the highest court in Poland challenged the primacy of EU law over Polish law, judging several articles of the European treaties “incompatible” with the Constitution of this country. According to Georges Mink, Warsaw has “not that scared“from Brussels because the authorities think that the EU “does not really have the tools to punish Poland”. But the researcher warns that “Polish civil society is pro-European” and that the authorities must take this into account.
franceinfo: What is the Polish power doing by wanting to stay in the EU but without following its rules?
Georges Mink: It is Europe à la carte, even if this power does not want a Europe of variable geometry. But what must be understood is that this power has a particular conception of the European Union and of Europe. He considers that he can influence the development of the European Union. What concerns the right is a measure corresponding precisely to this conception. It is not by chance that this power has joined forces with European right-wing movements in the idea of reforming the European Union from within. This autocratic power feels European. But he still wants to show the full weight of Polish sovereignty. There is therefore a kind of contradiction with the principles and standards of the European Union.
What does he give her so many certainties?
It’s a game with Brussels. It is very astonishing. In the same verdict, we speak of dialogue. It is hypocritical language. Because the Polish authorities think that the European Union does not really have the tools to punish Poland. They may not be that scared. In any case, in the short term. But it’s a game that can obviously end very badly. Because we know very well that intentional actions produce unpredictable effects. We saw that with England.
Is the British example mentioned in Poland and what do the Polish people think?
It is mentioned by the opposition, of course, which sees this risk looming behind this bluster of Polish power. Obviously, this has internal consequences in Poland. Because this concerns all Polish legal professions since it is the independence of the judiciary that is threatened. So judges, who will pronounce verdicts different from the will of the political power, must be punished according to this decree of the puppet court. But Polish public opinion is overwhelmingly Europhile. And it is probably the most Europhile country in the whole of the European Union. So this power will have to count with that. There are already calls for demonstrations in all cities of Poland. It should not be excluded that these will be important events, because Polish civil society really does exist. It is pro-European and respects agreements with the European Union.
