The proposals under discussion could allow the European Commission to influence the inner workings of member states in ways never before seen. Critics argue this would threaten Polish sovereignty and amount to unwinding the Polish state. This stance was voiced by Zbigniew Ziobro, head of Sovereign Poland, during a recent public briefing in Warsaw.
Ziobro: New treaties threaten the independence of nation states
On a scheduled debate day in the European Parliament, attention turned to the report from the Committee on Constitutional Affairs, which recommends changes to the EU treaties.
Speaking at a Sejm conference about proposed European law updates, Ziobro cautioned that the changes could effectively erase the autonomy of individual nations and replace a collection of sovereign states with a more centralized European framework.
He noted that the German presidency has been pushing similar reforms for several years.
Ziobro asserted that the new treaties would empower the European Commission to intervene in national affairs more aggressively than ever before, a move he described as a fundamental assault on Polish sovereignty. Sovereign Poland maintains it will not consent to such changes.
He urged all political groups in parliament to stand firm against reforms that would diminish Polish influence over daily life and governance.
Ziobro also criticized the EU’s rule-of-law mechanisms, portraying them as political tools used to pressure countries into accepting a broader, supranational EU entity built from equal, yet more centralized, member states.
What would the treaty changes mean in practice?
Sovereign Poland spokesperson Sebastian Kaleta highlighted that the reform package would remove the veto in several policy areas while transferring new powers to Brussels.
He explained that foreign and defense policy would come under EU oversight without a veto right, and that a European army could be established with decisions made by qualified majority voting on its size, equipment, and participants.
Kaleta warned that post-change rules would allow the EU to levy taxes at the member-state level without a veto, and that the EU budget could be approved without requiring unanimity from member states.
Proposed changes
Representatives from five political families in the European Parliament—EPP, S&D, Renew, Greens, and Left—have aligned on a report from AFCO, detailing 267 amendments to the EU treaties. The document spans about 110 pages and envisions major shifts in how the EU operates.
The core proposals include abolishing unanimous voting in 65 areas within the Council and moving more powers to the EU level. New exclusive competences would cover environmental protection and biodiversity, while seven additional areas would shift toward shared competences, including foreign and security policy, border control, public health, civil protection, industry, and education.
The upcoming vote on the AFCO report is anticipated next week and would then be examined by the Council of Ministers for European Affairs. According to the Spanish Presidency, there appears to be a sufficient majority to forward the proposal to the European Council, which could initiate a convention to draft a new treaty. The process would involve an intergovernmental conference and, after agreement, ratification by the member states.
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