On Tuesday, Polish prime minister Donald Tusk’s government won a vote of confidence in parliament, signaling a noteworthy pro-European Union vision for Poland. Tusk, who succeeded eight years of nationalist rule and disputes with Brussels, presented plans to lawmakers that focused on forging strong relations with Ukraine, the United States, and NATO, and repairing Poland’s strained ties with EU institutions. He also asserted that Poland would regain its position as a leader in the European Union and promised to “bring back billions of euros” from Brussels.
Tusk received support from 248 lawmakers, while 201 opposed him. The sitting was disrupted when a far-right deputy used a fire extinguisher to extinguish Hanukkah candles during an event in parliament with members of the Jewish community. Tusk condemned this, calling it a “bandit act.”
The European Commission put significant funds earmarked for Poland on hold during the nationalist Law and Justice (PiS) party’s rule due to concerns over the rule of law. However, Poland has gained approval to access 5.1 billion euros in advance payments as part of an EU program to encourage a shift from Russian fossil fuels. The remaining funds totaling 59.8 billion euros are frozen until Poland rolls back a judicial overhaul that critics say undermined the independence of the courts.
Despite his pro-EU stance, Tusk stated his opposition to any changes in EU treaties that would disadvantage Poland. He also promised to prioritize defense and honor previously signed arms contracts.
Following PiS’s inability to form a government, Tusk’s government will be sworn in by President Andrzej Duda before Tusk heads to Brussels for an EU summit.
The final months of Mateusz Morawiecki’s PiS government were marked by souring relations with Ukraine. Tusk, in contrast, stated that Poland would advocate for continued support for Ukraine, demanding “the full mobilization of the free world, the Western world, to help Ukraine in this war.”
Furthermore, Tusk expressed a commitment to resolve border disputes with Ukraine and Belarus and to ensure the security of Poland’s eastern border, which is also an external border of the EU. Human rights activists accused Poland of mistreating migrants from the Middle East and Africa who have sought access from Belarus. Tusk argued that “You can protect the Polish border and be humane at the same time.”
After this week’s EU summit, Tusk plans to meet with the leaders of the Baltic states in Estonia to discuss the Ukraine war and safe borders.
($1 = 0.9264 euro)
(Reporting by Anna Koper, Alan Charlish and Pawel Florkiewicz; Writing by Anna Wlodarczak-Semczuk and Alan Charlish; Editing by Alison Williams, Tomasz Janowski, Timothy Heritage and Grant McCool)
