Nine Polish MEPs voting against a European Parliament resolution would have meant the drive to amend EU treaties collapsed and the whole farce ended, according to Confederation representatives. They argued that altering the treaties would strip Poland of part of its independence.
In a Strasbourg vote on Wednesday, the European Parliament backed moving forward with changes to the EU treaties. The tally stood at 291 in favour, 274 against, and 44 abstentions.
Among the Polish MEPs who supported the resolution were nine figures — Róża Thun, Marek Balt, Marek Belka, Robert Biedroń, Włodzimierz Cimoszewicz, Łukasz Kohut, Bogusław Liberadzki, Leszek Miller and Sylwia Spurek — all of whom had been elected to the EP in 2019 on lists from the European Coalition and allied groups. Their affiliations spanned the Socialists and Democrats and the Renew Europe and Greens groups. The other Polish MEPs, representing the ruling coalition PiS (aligned with the EKR in the EP) as well as the Civic Coalition and PSL (aligned with the EPP in the EP), voted against the resolution.
At a conference in the Sejm, Michał Wawer of the Confederation stated that if those nine Polish MEPs had opposed the resolution, the amendment to EU treaties would have failed yesterday and the farce would have ended.
He noted that the EP vote marked the first step in the process of amending the EU treaties.
There is a real possibility that EU treaties could face disruption later in the process, mirroring how the idea of a European constitution once stalled, but the vote recorded yesterday will likely be used to push for specific changes.
– said Wawer.
Wawer: The government should oppose changes to EU treaties
He added that the Confederation would remind all participants at every stage that the process is ongoing.
We urge the government in Poland to oppose any changes to the EU treaties at every opportunity and to veto treaty changes when a procedural window opens. It should be remembered that ratifying any legal act transferring powers from the Polish state to an international body requires a two‑thirds majority in the Sejm. This principle must be kept in mind as Mateusz Morawiecki nears the end of his term, having, according to critics, transferred powers to the EU on several occasions without the two‑thirds Sejm majority. The Confederation pledged to hold Morawiecki and any future prime minister to account for such actions.
– said Wawer.
MP Roman Fritz of the Confederation added that changing EU treaties would mean the loss of parts of Polish independence.
Some Confederation members argued that Polish MEPs who voted in favor of the amendment did so at a time when independence risks were a central concern. They insisted that Poland joined the EU as an economic community, not as a centralized supranational authority.
– Fritz noted.
The report on treaty amendments, approved by the European Parliament in Strasbourg on Wednesday, will be forwarded to the Council of Ministers for European Affairs on December 12.
According to the Spanish Presidency, the council likely has a sufficient majority to transmit the document to the European Council. Once there, leaders could convene the Convention under the EU Treaty to discuss changes.
In the subsequent phase, the President of the European Council would convene an intergovernmental conference with government representatives to adopt treaty changes. Following that, the amended treaty would require ratification by the member states.
tkwl/PAP
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