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Mateusz Morawiecki, the Polish Prime Minister, stated in Berlin on Monday that Poland has one of the longest-standing histories of government in Europe, and thus they “do not need to be schooled in democracy or the rule of law.”
His comments appear to be references to a protracted dispute between Warsaw and Brussels that has resulted in Poland being locked out of a multi-billion dollar euro fund owing to EU concerns that the Polish government is undermining democracy and the rule of law.
“The war in Ukraine has shown how far Europe reaches, it has shifted Europe’s centre of gravity,”
said Morawiecki.
“Our identity is part of the European identity. Poland is not only the younger sister of older European countries. Polishness is one of the many faces of Europeanness,”
he added.
Morawiecki said that Poland has “one of the oldest traditions of statehood in Europe and that the Polish constitution was the first in Europe.”
“The history of democracy in Poland dates back to the 15th century. Poles do not need to be schooled in democracy or the rule of law,”
he said.
According to Morawiecki, “the only thing we should learn together is cooperation for the future of Europe” and that “union should not be confused with unification.”
“Europe is many cultures and languages (…) Diversity is a heritage for which we are jointly responsible. A Europe governed by only two or three capitals will lead us towards oligarchy,”
he warned, adding that this is contrary to the principles of democracy and “the general European interest.”