“The bill announced by President Andrzej Duda will deal, among other things, with the issue of agreeing the priorities of the Polish EU presidency in 2025 between the president and the prime minister,” Presidential Minister Małgorzata Paprocka said on TVN24 on Wednesday.
Presidential announcement of the bill
President Andrzej Duda announced in his speech on Tuesday that he would introduce a bill on Wednesday that would define the framework for cooperation between the president, government, sejm and senate in the context of Poland’s presidency of the EU’s work Council, which was to take place in the first half of 2025. He called for the law to be passed immediately. The president emphasized that with this initiative he wants to prove that the entire political class can work together harmoniously on issues that are of the utmost importance to Poland.
Małgorzata Paprocka, minister of the KPRP, was asked on Wednesday what additional powers the president will include in the bill for herself in contacts with Brussels.
This law implements Article 133 of the Constitution, which states that the President cooperates with the Council of Ministers and the Secretary of State in matters of foreign policy
– she said.
Preparations for the Polish Presidency of the EU in 2025
As she noted, “the Constitution is before our entry into the EU – there is no chapter that talks about it.” According to her, the project announced by the president is of crucial importance in view of the Polish presidency of the EU in 2025, for which, as she indicated, one must prepare thoroughly.
The challenges facing the president are strengthening EU-US cooperation, strengthening energy security and enlarging the Union
explained the minister.
When asked about the specific provisions of the president’s powers in the draft, she pointed to the issue of agreement on presidency priorities between the president and prime minister.
She also pointed out “issues related to shaping the personal makeup of our representatives in the EU on a similar basis to what ambassadors are appointed today – that is, the issue of cooperation between the Council of Ministers and the President.” When asked what positions she was referring to, she mentioned the EU Commissioners, our representative in the EU Court of Auditors and “all these positions listed in the law today”.
The new power of the president
When asked if the president wants the right to veto candidates for EU commissioner, the president’s minister replied that she did – as part of her opinion.
This is due to the constitution and the fact that the government has to act in this area
– she said. She pointed out that this does not follow from the Constitution, as we have been appointing an EU Commissioner for 19 years without the participation of the President, and replied that the President believed that this solution was incorrect. “In the case of an ambassador, if the president has something to say, why wouldn’t it be in the nominations for these positions,” she noted.
“According to the president, such changes should be made today. Remember that the president has two years left in his term, this solution is to stay for the future – also for the next presidents” – Parocka stressed.
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rm/PAP
Source: wPolityce