EU LIFELINE
MIROSŁAW PIOTROWSKI
Those who are complaining about and reporting against Poland, are confessing it repentantly, but what is the most important – they are entrusting themselves under care.
There are still pilgrimages of the opposition activists to Brussels and Strasburg connected with the so-called good change in Poland. I think that the word ‘pilgrimage’ is very adequate here. Those who are complaining about and reporting against Poland, are confessing it repentantly, but what is the most important – they are entrusting themselves under care. Before that the purpose of the pilgrimage were politicians of the European Parliament, among the others: its chairperson from Germany Martin Schulz, a chief of the liberals, from Belgium Guy Verhofstadt, the leader of the socialists, from Italy Gianni Pittella and a vice-president of the European Commission from Holland Frans Timmermans, and at present – its chairman from Luxembourg Jean-Claude Juncker. The last two were not elected for the post in democratic elections, but received the posts through being appointed, through an agreement. However, they feel very unsure and only believe in the power of this EU agreement. They often express it through their behavior, their body language. Recently Ryszard Petru, ‘a pilgrim’ has had an occasion to prove it. Having arrived at Brussels, he wanted to give a speech at a press conference with Juncker, who in the lights of cameras, waved at him his hands, like – let’s say it – not as a partner and put him by the wall imperiously. It seemed a little gesture, but how significant, allowing us to think what talks of a ‘pilgrim’ with ‘a picture’ look like. In fact, not only his, as I think. Most representatives of the so-called Polish opposition, which is getting disgraced more and more in its own country, and what it implies – it is clearly losing the support of citizens, looking for rescue in the European Union. The European Commission is not the Parliament which debates and enacts legally unbinding resolutions, it is not the European Council either, to which the Polish prime minister Beata Szydło belongs, and which maintains coalition with the chiefs of the governments of Central-Eastern Europe. The European Commission is the guard of treaties and shares EU funds. It is a long time since I have heard that here modern defenders of the Polish democracy find their hope. So, if they managed to block the flow of EU funds to Poland, and put a blame on the government and politicians supporting it, they could bounce away from the unavoidably approaching bottom. The perspective is extremely tempting, or is it a lifeline?
AA
„Niedziela” 06/2017