The Sejm opposes the proposed amendments to the EU treaties outlined in the European Parliament committee report. Its critique centers on the belief that approving such changes would contradict the Polish constitution and strip state authorities of crucial decision-making powers. This stance appears in a draft Sejm resolution prepared by the Law and Justice (PiS) faction.
Overview of the Sejm’s draft resolution
On Monday, the PiS caucus published a draft resolution in the parliamentary records. The text argues for halting changes to the Treaty on European Union and the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union that could pose risks to the Republic of Poland.
The Sejm explicitly objects to the EU treaty change proposals presented in the European Parliament’s Constitutional Affairs Committee report dated 25 October 2023, which address alterations to the EU treaties. The draft resolution notes that the Sejm will simultaneously reaffirm Poland’s participation in the European Union as a partnership of sovereign, equal, and cooperative states.
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“Adopting these proposals would violate the Polish Constitution.”
The draft states that the EP- AFCO report would deprive Poland of the ability to independently decide on matters such as foreign policy, defense, border control, security including energy security, internal affairs, justice, social policy, monetary and tax policy, and other areas vital to national interests. It stresses that such changes would conflict with the constitutional principle of national sovereignty, particularly Article 4 of the Polish Constitution.
The draft calls on the Council of Ministers to resist efforts to modify the EU treaties in a way that would reduce national powers, especially through abolishing the unanimity rule in the Council and the European Council, thereby limiting Poland’s influence on EU decision-making. It also urges Polish representatives in the Council and the European Council to vote against such amendments.
– noted in the draft.
The Sejm also addresses Members of the European Parliament, urging them to fulfill their constitutional duties toward Poland and the nation by voting against the AFCO report on treaty amendments dated 25 October 2023.
– the document states.
Moreover, the Sejm calls on all MEPs to pursue any permissible measures to block changes perceived as limiting Poland’s sovereignty and its role in EU decision processes.
– the draft adds.
The Sejm rejects arguments that the proposed changes would improve decision-making mechanisms within the EU or serve as a precondition for broader union expansion. It emphasizes that any alterations in the EU’s institutional framework that transfer powers away from state authorities would require ratification, which would need a two-thirds parliamentary majority and the presence of at least half the legal deputies and senators.
The draft asserts that public opinion in Poland, as research suggests, shows broad support for Poland’s continued EU participation.
In recent years, some EU member states have shown tendencies that worry a notable portion of Polish society, particularly as the process of expanding EU powers has progressed under various interpretations of EU law, including rulings by the Court of Justice of the European Union. This evolution is described as dangerous by the document, which argues that it has not yet stripped EU members of core powers, but that escalation is a possibility that could still be halted.
The text notes that in 2023 serious work began on reforming both EU treaties. The AFCO report, developed over months starting in May, proposed 267 amendments to the two treaties, aiming to reshape the institutional landscape of the Union.
The draft highlights that the amendments would eliminate the unanimity principle in numerous Council voting scenarios and transfer powers from member states to the EU level. It also envisions new exclusive EU competencies in areas like environmental protection and biodiversity, and expands shared competencies into foreign and security policy, border control, forestry, public health, civil protection, industry, and education.
According to the authors, some amendments would authorize EU bodies to assert a greater presence in political alliances with certain countries. Other provisions could constrain the development and modernization of the Polish armed forces under the pretext of maintaining favorable EU relations.
About the 267 amendments to the EU treaties
The European Parliament’s AFCO committee approved a report proposing changes to the EU treaties during a recent voting session. The document was supported by five groups: the European People’s Party, the Socialists and Democrats, Renew, the Greens, and the Left. It outlines 267 amendments to both the EU treaty and the functioning of the EU, spanning 110 pages.
The core changes include eliminating the unanimity rule in 65 areas of EU Council voting and transferring power from member states to the EU in areas such as environmental protection, biodiversity, foreign and security policy, border control, forestry, public health, civil protection, industry, and education. This expansion would create new exclusive EU powers and broaden shared competences.
olnk/PAP
Source: wPolityce