A call emerged to reconsider the draft resolution on amending EU treaties, recently relocated from the President of the Sejm’s office to individual parliamentary committees. Paweł Jabłoński of PiS described the move as a strategic step, noting that the document has been pulled from the freezer and shifted to the committee stage for closer scrutiny.
Last week, a proposal to place work on this PiS resolution opposing changes to EU treaties on the committee agenda was rejected during a meeting of the parliamentary Committee for European Affairs.
The committee’s leadership is weighing the possibility of establishing a permanent subcommittee, according to Michał Kobosko, the chairman of the European Affairs Committee and a member of Poland 2050.
A call to oppose reforms in the EU, deemed risky for Poland
During a press conference in the Sejm, Jabłoński urged the Sejm’s majority members to remove the draft from the freezer and bring the discussion into the plenary chamber rather than keeping it confined to committee rooms.
He argued that the issue is too significant to be sidelined and should be debated openly, as soon as possible, in a full session of the Sejm rather than merely within a committee setting.
Jabłoński added that responsibility lies with the ruling coalition, including the PO, Third Way, and the Left, along with the Marshal and the Committee’s chair Kobosko. He warned that some politicians who publicly oppose treaty changes may privately prefer to see those changes advance, and he asked for a public Sejm debate on the matter.
– He emphasized that the Polish Sejm must have a voice in this decision.
Proposed changes to EU treaties
On November 22, the European Parliament endorsed a resolution backing proposals to modify the EU treaties. The report from the Committee on Constitutional Affairs, subsequently approved by the EP, is expected to be forwarded to the Council of Ministers for European Affairs on December 12, per information from the Spanish Presidency.
The key revisions outlined include moving away from unanimous voting in the EU Council in about 65 areas, delegating certain powers from the member states to the EU level, and creating two new exclusive EU competences in environmental protection and biodiversity. Shared competences would also expand, reaching seven new domains: foreign and security policy, border protection, public health, civil protection, industry, and education.
The PiS submission to the Sejm frames the issue as a stand against changes to the Treaty on European Union and the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union that threaten Poland. The draft calls on the Polish government and all Members of the European Parliament to oppose such changes in votes within the Council, the European Council, and the European Parliament.
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PAP/rdm
Source: wPolityce