Open Letter to Prime Minister of Poland

Dear Mr Prime Minister,

As experienced practitioners of multiple disciplines operating under the “Team Europe” expert network, we are increasingly concerned about the opinions and decisions over the Polish and Hungarian veto to the EU’s seven-year Financial Framework and Recovery Fund.

We regard the membership in the European Union as a historically unique chance for Poland to be safely and sustainably positioned among the friendly, well-organised and democratic nations of Europe. This chance must not be put in danger without a good reason. Unavoidable divergence of interests between Member States need to be settled by way of negotiation, based on the principles of equality and rule of law that underlie the EU. Disputes in the most contentious cases can be resolved by the Court of Justice of the European Union using procedures provided for by the Treaties.

The publicly announced decision of the Polish authorities to veto the EU budget will, in our view, cause substantial economic, social and cultural losses.

It will also pose an unacceptable threat to Poland’s national interest in a long term. That line of conduct is backed by unsound arguments and decisions are clearly being taken based on biased information and misinterpretations. In the most extreme case, the rule of law conditionality regulation is claimed to violate Poland’s sovereignty, whereas Poland has joined the EU and ceded certain decisions to it by the will of the Sovereign expressed in a referendum, whose result is binding for any Polish government. Pacta servanda sunt! Respect for the rule of law, as specified in the EU Court of Justice case law, is the obligation to be performed by the Member States, a prerequisite of membership not only in the EU but also the Council of Europe and the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation.

Benefits from the EU membership go far beyond financial matters. Poland relies on the EU as a network of interconnections built on joint institutions that provide us with development opportunities, as well as legal and physical security. The veto would encourage some of the “Old Union” countries in their pursuit of a closer integration within the eurozone, which could so far be effectively opposed to by previous Polish governments. Now, this idea would be put into action with our own hands. Poland would inevitably be marginalised within the European Union and start its drift towards the “slower speed” category.

Sticking firmly to the adopted tactics and casting a veto to the EU budget and Recovery Fund would also imply Poland’s creeping departure from the Union, up to an implicit Polexit. That scenario is disapproved by over 80% of Polish citizens!

Mister Prime Minister! We call on the Government to change their position in this regard.

Jan Barcz

Wojciech Warski

Joanna Orzechowska-Wacławska

Renata Mieńkowska-Norkiene

Leszek Kwieciński

Małgorzata Bonikowska

Piotr Maciej Kaczyński

Leszek Cybulski

Artur Nowak – Far

Bartłomiej Zapała

Marta Czarnecka-Gallas

Tomasz Dostatni

Jan Truszczyński

Sebastian Gojdź

Lech Kurkliński

Janusz Węc

Andrzej Dumała

Grzegorz Gil

Ewa Szostak

Michał Jamiołkowski

Jarosław Greser

Katarzyna Kasia

Andrzej Dycha

Tomasz Kałużny

Robert Grzeszczak

Bartłomiej E. Nowak

Arkadiusz Domagała

Paweł Sztarbowski

Ewa Heczko-Hyłowa

Anna Doliwa-Klepacka

Paula Wiśniewska

Beata Jurkowicz

Aleksanda Polak

Joanna Mytkowska

Anna Przybylska

Anna Jaroń

Małgorzata Lawrowska-von Thadden

Małgorzata Molęda-Zdziech

Marek Grela

Maciej Krzak

Krzysztof Biegun

Teresa Sasinska-Klas

Katarzyna Stachurska-Szczesiak

Justyna Napiórkowska

Tomasz Kubin

Agnieszka Florczak

Błażej Choroś

Ludwik Kotecki

Wiesław Różyński

Agnieszka Nitszke

Elżbieta Skotnicka – Illasiewicz