Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki’s speech in Heidelberg was meant to show that Europe is not doomed to a federalist vision of development, European Affairs Minister Szymon Szynkowski vel Sęk told journalists in Brussels on Monday.
This great programmatic speech is already inspiring discussion in many countries and here in Brussels. That was his goal. To show that Europe is not condemned to just one federalist, centralist vision of development, but that we also have an alternative. That there is another vision that the discussion can focus on. You can build coalitions of states; coalitions of will and courage
– said Szynkowski vel Sek on the eve of the meeting of EU ministers for European affairs in Brussels.
In the coming days and weeks we will talk about this alternative view of development
he stressed.
On Monday, Prime Minister Morawiecki gave a lecture at Ruprecht and Charles University in Heidelberg, Germany. “Europe at a historic turning point”.
Europe is now at a historic turning point, even more serious than when communism was collapsing. At that time, the changes were peaceful, while today the whole world is threatened by Russian aggression
said the head of the Polish government.
According to him, the pandemic crisis and the previous economic crisis showed “the limit of supranational governance”.
It turns out that nothing will save the freedom of nations and their security but nation-states. Other systems are utopian or illusory. (…) The nation-states in Europe cannot be replaced by anything else
That is what Prime Minister Morawiecki said.
Integration does not have to mean that competencies are expanded
the European Union must be able to limit its powers itself; integration does not always have to mean an extension of the EU’s powers, Poland’s European Affairs Minister Szymon Szynkowski vel Sęk said in Brussels on Monday.
I hear from my colleagues, the ministers of European Affairs, that if we want to enlarge the EU, it must first be reformed. And reform very often means moving some areas where decisions are taken by unanimity to areas where decisions are taken by qualified majority
This is what Szynkowski vel Sęk told journalists on the eve of the meeting of EU ministers for European affairs in Brussels.
We say the way must be different. Firstly, such conditionality should not be imposed because it is nowhere in the Treaties. We cannot blackmail our partners with whom we want to build the future and trust with such changes. But also, if the European Union wants to expand, it should not think about how it can put a minority of countries against the wall and thus introduce a wider qualified majority, but it should think about how it can go back in the process of spilling her competencies
– postulated the Polish minister.
In his view, the relevant areas of EU competence should be reviewed and whether the EU should withdraw from some of them.
Integration is not a process that must always lead to the covering of new areas of European competence. Contrary. We believe that this is a process that, rationally, should be able to go back if it turns out that European powers have gone too far in some areas and are doing more harm than good. The Union must also have the capacity to limit its powers itself
– summarized Szynkowski vel Sęk.
11th sanctions package against Russia
We are open to talks on the 11th sanctions package against Russia in connection with the invasion of Ukraine, but the main focus should be on the effective implementation of the restrictions already in place, Polish European Affairs Minister Szymon Szynkowski vel Sęk said on Monday in Brussels. .
The politician pointed out that there are many attempts to circumvent the existing sanctions.
Unfortunately, some of them are effective. We will work to ensure that these sanctions are properly implemented. We are the country that wants more far-reaching sanctions, so we are open to talks about the 11th sanctions package. At the same time, we are in favor of focusing today (…) on the full implementation of the restrictions already in place
— Szynkowski vel Sęk told journalists on the eve of the meeting of EU ministers for European affairs in Brussels.
gah/PAP
Source: wPolityce