Is EU Close to Polexit?

The centre-right European People's Party (EPP), the largest political group in the European Parliament, sounded the alarm on Thursday (7 October), warning that Poland's ruling party is pushing the country towards 'Polexit'.

Poland's highest court ruled on Thursday (7 October) that parts of EU treaties are incompatible with the Polish constitution, challenging a key tenet of European integration in a sharp escalation of a dispute between Brussels and Warsaw over the rule of law.

Poland is ruled by the Law and Justice party (PiS) of Jarosław Kaczyński, a right-wing national-conservative force which dominates the European Conservatives and Reformist (ECR) group in the European Parliament.

The sister party of the European People's Party (EPP) in Poland is the Civic Platform (PO), founded by Donald Tusk, a former Polish prime minister who was President of the European Council in Brussels before leading the EPP party itself.

The Civic Platform is the main challenger of PiS and many believe that Tusk, who left the EPP's top job to return to Poland, could unite the opposition ahead of the 2023 parliamentary elections.

Poland's highest court ruled on Thursday (7 October) that parts of EU treaties are incompatible with the Polish constitution, challenging a key tenet of European integration in a sharp escalation of a dispute between Brussels and Warsaw.

"It's hard to believe the Polish authorities and the PiS Party when they claim that they don't want to put an end to Poland's membership of the EU," said Jeroen Lenaers, a Dutch lawmaker from the EPP group in the European Parliament.

"Their actions go in the opposite direction. Enough is enough. The Polish Government has lost its credibility....