Newly appointed Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk presents his government’s programme and asks for a vote of confidence in
Parliament in Warsaw yesterday. (Reuters)
New Prime Minister Donald Tusk set out a pro-European Union vision for Poland and pledged strong support for Ukraine yesterday, a day after his appointment ended eight years of nationalist rule that soured relations with the EU. Presenting his government’s plans to parliament, Tusk said Poland would be a loyal ally of the United States and a committed member of Nato, and signalled his determination to mend Warsaw’s ties with Brussels after years of feuding over issues. “Poland will regain its position as a leader in the European Union…Poland will build its strength, the position it deserves,” said Tusk, later promising to “bring back billions of euros” from Brussels. The European Commission, the EU executive, put significant funds earmarked for Poland on hold when the nationalist Law and Justice (PiS) party was in power because of concerns over the rule of law. Poland has gained approval to access €5.1bn ($5.5bn) in advance payments as part of an EU programme to encourage a shift from Russian fossil fuels. But the rest of a total of €59.8bn in green transition and Covid-19 recovery funds is frozen until Warsaw rolls back a judicial overhaul implemented by PiS which critics say undermined the independence of the courts. Despite his pro-EU line, Tusk, who was also prime minister form 2007-2014, said he would oppose any changes of EU treaties that would disadvantage Poland. “Any attempts to change treaties that are against our interests are out of the question…no one will outplay me in the European Union,” said Tusk, a former president of the European Council, which groups the leaders of EU member states. Tusk, 66, also promised his government would make defence a priority and honour previously signed arms contracts. PiS came first in an October 15 election and had the first shot at forming a government, but lacked the necessary majority to do so after all other parties ruled out working with it. Tusk was expected to win a vote of confidence later yesterday, enabling his government to be sworn in by President Andrzej Duda today morning. But, in a post on X, PiS lawmaker Mariusz Blaszczak called Tusk’s speech a “festival of lies”, criticised it for lacking specific policy details and said: “This is a bad time for Poland.” The final months of Mateusz Morawiecki’s PiS government were marked by a souring of relations with Kyiv, mainly over Warsaw’s extension of a ban on Ukrainian grain imports. With concerns growing in Kyiv about its Western allies’ commitment to funding its defence against Russia’s invasion, Tusk said Poland would advocate for continued support. “We will…loudly and decisively demand the full mobilisation of the free world, the Western world, to help Ukraine in this war,” he said. Ukraine also faces the possibility that Hungary will not give the green light for it to start EU accession talks at a Brussels summit this week. Ties between Warsaw and Kyiv have been strained by a protest by Polish truckers who have blocked some border crossings in a dispute over Ukrainian trucking firms’ access to the EU.
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