Move FM Global News

WARSAW, Poland: Poland’s deputy prime minister and ruling party leader, Jaroslaw Kaczynski, has said that the primacy of EU law over the country’s laws undermines Poland’s sovereignty, in a letter quoted by state news agency PAP.

The European Commission earlier asked Poland to withdraw a motion filed with Poland’s constitutional court to allow for a hearing to determine whether the country’s constitution or EU treaties had precedent over the other.

“This is an unbelievable demand that undermines the foundations of our sovereignty, our constitutional order, the right of the Republic of Poland to success,” Kaczynski said in the letter.

Kaczynski, the leader of the nationalist Law and Justice party, said the Commission’s request was part of the “opposition’s fight to overthrow the democratically elected government” and a “tool to impose a new, revolutionary order in Europe”.

The primacy of EU laws over its members states’ domestic legislation is a key tenet of European integration.

Opposition Polish politicians have warned that Poland’s challenge to the primacy of the EU could result in Poland leaving the EU, and threaten the stability of the bloc.

Poland’s constitutional court is scheduled to take up the issue on September 22.

In September, the EU held up the transfer of 57 million euros because of the court challenge, according to EU Commissioner Paolo Gentiloni.

Members of the bloc’s 27 countries must seek EU approval for their national spending plans, allowing them to use tens of billions of euros from the bloc in COVID-19 recovery funds.