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The secretary general of Poland’s ruling party, the conservative Law and Justice (PiS), has spoken against Germany’s proposal to abandon the veto rule in the EU so that single member states could not block major decisions.
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said on Wednesday that the EU could not afford key decisions being blocked by single EU members.
“Qualified majority voting can lead to more just results for all of us,” Baerbock said. “We must be able to act quickly and efficiently.”
But PiS secretary general, Krzysztof Sobolewski, said on Polish public radio on Thursday that “as long as PiS is in power, there will be no agreement to the departure from the veto principle in the EU.”
According to the conservative party official, the principle is one of the European Union’s foundations that guarantees smaller members “that they are partners and agents, rather than objects or pawns in the EU.”
The Polish government spokesman, Piotr Mueller, reiterated Sobolewski’s stance when asked for comment by PAP later on Thursday.
“The Polish government will not agree to any changes regarding EU law that would reduce the powers of member states when it comes to the veto,” Mueller said.
The spokesman went on to say that the government considered the current solutions concerning the power of veto as “sufficient” and warned against concepts leading to “a federalist EU”, which in his opinion could lead to disintegration of the bloc.