What is currently proposed in terms of EU treaties amounts to dissolving individual nation states. The shift would create an EU superstate, according to government spokesman Piotr Müller on TVP Info on Tuesday.
READ MORE: Tomorrow the EP committee will vote on the proposal to change the treaties. Szydło warns that member states could lose their veto power.
Draft amendment to the EU treaties
The report outlining treaty-change proposals is expected to be voted on in the European Parliament’s Committee on Constitutional Affairs (AFCO) on Wednesday. When asked about the issue, government spokesman Piotr Müller said that what is currently proposed in terms of EU treaties is de facto the liquidation of nation states.
This would amount to the creation of an EU superstate. It would be a historic shift for the European continent, and such ideas have often led to tense outcomes in the past.
– he added.
So-called sovereignty is a broad term, yet underneath it lie specific matters. In short, would decisions on taxes be made nationally or by officials in Brussels?
– he noted.
He also stated that the proposed treaty changes run counter to the founding principles of the European Union.
From the start, the focus was on optionality. Disagreements were meant to be resolved through consensus rather than imposed from above.
– he stressed.
Müller highlighted that the current project presumes that many EU countries will have a say on fundamental issues.
In such setups, decisions could fall largely to Germany and other large member states.
– he added.
“These kinds of ideas won’t work in Poland.”
The government spokesperson indicated hope that such changes would remain unimplementable for several reasons.
First, Poland requires a qualified majority in parliament for any treaty to apply domestically. The ruling party is pledged to block such ideas.
– he emphasized.
The second point concerns the maturity of other EU countries. A few years ago the so-called Constitution for Europe was proposed. It was rejected by Western European nations, including France, who recognized it would lead to a poor outcome for Europe.
– he recalled.
267 treaty changes
The document containing treaty-change proposals was developed by five groups in the EP: the EPP, Social Democrats (S&D), Liberals (Renew), the Greens and the Communist Left. It contains proposals for 267 amendments to both EU Treaties and the functioning of the EU, spanning 110 pages.
The main changes include removing the unanimity requirement in EU Council voting across 65 areas and a major transfer of powers from the member-state level to the EU level. This would involve creating two new exclusive EU competences (Article 3 TFEU) and a broad expansion of shared competences (Article 4), covering eight new policy areas such as foreign and security policy, border protection, forestry, public health, civil protection, industry and education.
The groups drafting the document aim to begin the process for amending the EU Treaties, potentially through a Convention followed by an Intergovernmental Conference on treaty amendments.
The coordinator of the Constitutional Commission for the EKR indicated a lack of support for the report, noting that it proposes a radical centralization of the EU, effectively transforming it into a centralized oligarchic superstate with reduced democratic oversight. He warned that these changes would weaken member states by narrowing their powers.
He also pointed out that the report suggests cultural and ideological shifts by replacing the term “equality between women and men” with “gender equality” throughout the EU treaties, referencing concerns about gender ideology.