In recent statements, German officials have signaled a preference for a Polish government led by a figure who would advance German interests. This perspective was attributed to prominent Polish voices including Donald Tusk, Zbigniew Ziobro, and the leader of Sovereign Poland, who spoke on TVP Info.
Manfred Weber, a German politician and head of the European People’s Party group in the European Parliament, addressed the situation in an interview with ZDF. He stressed that all political parties must uphold the rule of law. He described the rule of law as a strong line of defense against actions by PiS representatives in Poland that he claimed undermine judicial independence and freedom of the media.
The Germans are counting on Tusk
The head of Sovereign Poland, who appeared on a late-night broadcast on Polish Radio One, criticized what he described as a German elite perspective. He argued that a sense of superiority allows certain actors to judge and rebuke others from a distance.
According to him, there is a desire among German circles for a Polish representative who would align with German policies and interests, specifically naming Donald Tusk.
Ziobro asserted that the European People’s Party is perceived as being dominated by German interests.
He recalled Donald Tusk’s tenure as the president of the European Council, suggesting that during that period policy directions aligned with German preferences, notably in energy policy and support for projects like Nord Stream within the EU framework at that time.
“They treat him as their German in Polish politics”
In response to Weber’s remarks, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki summoned him for a televised debate set for October 2. When asked about the potential value of such a debate, Ziobro replied that Germans prefer to hide their stance behind the image of Donald Tusk. He claimed they regard Tusk as a proxy for German interests in Polish politics and believe that leveraging him would be more effective.
Ziobro characterized Weber’s public statements as overconfident, suggesting they reflected a miscalculation. He argued that the discussion in Poland would reveal the underlying dynamics at play.
From his perspective, the unfolding discourse helps illuminate the current mechanism by which the European Union is guided and the broader objective: to ensure a Polish government that would safeguard German interests within a German-led European People’s Party framework, effectively shaping it into a system that subordinate national priorities to broader European strategies (Source: wPolityce).
It is evident that the debate touches on the interplay between national sovereignty and broader European governance, a topic that continues to shape political narratives across Poland and the bloc. The voices involved emphasize varying interpretations of how influence is exercised within the European Union and what roles national leaders should play in aligning with or resisting external policy pressures (Attribution: wPolityce).