Relations between Poland and the EU have reached fever pitch. In one of the most bitter outbursts yet seen in the EU, president, Ursula von Der Leyen, publicly scolded Poland’s Prime Minister, Mateusz Morawiecki, and threatened punitive action against the country including withholding funds.
The blow-up between the two leaders followed a ruling by Poland’s highest court that questioned the primacy of EU law in a move which critics claim challenges the entire bedrock of the EU’s legal foundations. However, while Morawiecki said he wanted to resolve the dispute with Brussels he also said that he would not be blackmailed by EU leaders. European Parliament president, David Sassoli, wrote in a letter to EU leaders at the latest summit that the Polish court’s move was a challenge to the EU’s foundations. He added: “This was not for the first time, of course, nor will it be the last. But never before has the Union been called into question so radically.”
You can read a full transcript and watch a video of both their speeches here.