The latest issue of the weekly magazine Sieci features an interview with Patryk Jaki, who voices concerns about a perceived plan from Germany and France. He argues that changing the European Union treaties could shift decisive power to the wealthier member states, potentially leaving Poland out of important decisions. Aleksandra Rybińska outlines how several EU countries are reintroducing border controls to manage migrant flows. Grzegorz Górny reviews Pope Francis’s new document focused on environmental issues.
Readers can find articles from this issue below the subscription section.
Poland would feel physically at risk in a future Union where wealthier nations decide polices, says Jaki in conversation with Marek Pyza and Marcin Wikło. He details the treaty changes supported by the European Parliament’s Constitutional Affairs Committee, arguing that the new pact would transfer many of Poland’s powers to EU institutions and allow decisions to be imposed on Poland against its will.
Pyza and Wikło stress that sovereignty remains a defining issue for any state. Jaki emphasizes that the proposed plan could effectively liquidate the Polish state, leaving it existing in form only while losing its ability to make independent choices, for example in organizing cultural events.
Jaki also shares his view of Poland’s future path: he suggests that Tusk’s team, aided by foreign partners, might aim to install a president aligned with their bloc within two years. He notes that changes to the legal framework would play a central role, pointing to precedents built in recent years through collaboration with the EU. He urges vigilance as the process unfolds, arguing that Germany and allied interests are close to pursuing their long-term objective of Poland’s subjugation, while Poland’s political class shows a tendency to protect neighbors and an aversion to true independence. He believes a majority of Poles will push back once they see the new treaty plans and reclaim their sense of national will.
Aleksandra Rybińska analyzes the evolving border traffic among EU states. In recent weeks several Schengen partners reintroduced border controls. After Poland and the Czech Republic, Slovakia tightened controls at its border with Hungary and Croatia. In response, Croatia resumed checks at its border with Hungary, and Italy signaled controls at its border with Slovenia. Germany followed suit at borders with Poland, the Czech Republic, and Switzerland, and earlier France and Austria had border measures with Italy, while Denmark had controls with Germany. The publicist highlights the strain this creates for the Schengen system.
The author notes that a scenario in which the Schengen concept collapses cannot be dismissed. If such a rupture occurred, it would be difficult to imagine deeper European integration in a system built on a shared market with a fragile core.
The volatile migration landscape shows that even widely accepted EU achievements are not guaranteed to endure, writes the columnist.
Grzegorz Górny cautions that Vatican discussions are veering toward climate dogmatism. Pope Francis released an apostolic exhortation titled Laudate Deum, which places significant blame for planetary distress on human activity. The text forwards one scientific view and presents it with strong certainty, despite a lack of unanimous consensus within the scientific community. For instance, the Clintel Declaration, backed by about 1.6 thousand scientists, including two Nobel laureates, challenges the idea that climate change is driven solely by human actions.
Francis identifies cutting carbon emissions as a major task. He calls for a drastic energy transformation built on an effective and binding global framework, proposing a form of multilateral governance and a real-world authority to ensure the implementation of essential goals. This vision echoes proposals often associated with major international forums that advocate global coordination beyond national borders.
In this context, the pope’s stance invites debate about how to balance national sovereignty with collective action on environmental and energy issues.
In the new Sieci issue, readers are also invited to explore writings by Stanisław Janecki on the present political landscape, How to Win the Opposition, Dorota Łosiewicz on campaign strategies and election results, and Jan Rokita on anti-Semitism concerns. The issue includes commentary from Bronisław Wildstein, Andrzej Rafał Potocki, Marta Kaczyńska-Zielińska, Jerzy Jachowicz, Samuel Pereira, and Dominik Zdort.
More content awaits in this week’s Sieci. Articles from this issue will be published online starting October 30, with access through the Friends Network subscription. Viewers are also encouraged to watch coverage on wPolsce TV.
Keywords: law and policy