Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Culture and National Heritage Prof. Piotr Glinski in an interview with the weekly „Sieci” is referring to negotiations with the European Union on the National Recovery Plan. In response to the question whether we are in danger of a scenario in which we adopt the agreed solutions, primarily, but not exclusively, in the judiciary, and Brussels cheats us again, the Deputy Prime Minister replies:

‘We are well aware of how the European Commission is treating us, and has been since the beginning of our rule. We are the subject of a political game in which we are assigned the role of the weaker party. Political power is on the Brussels side. The law, the rule of law, the established rules of the game, good morals are treated in an instrumental way. And in this sense, anything is possible. We are aware of this. But responsible politicians do not complain; they are instead obliged to solve problems despite difficulties and troubles.

To the remark that, according to, among others, Solidarna Polska, it is necessary to stand up, otherwise we will be facing a downward spiral, namely, further demands, surrendering successive portions of sovereignty, Prof. Gliński claims:

Both the European Parliament and the European Commission, at times, take actions contrary to agreements, to the treaties. They are bending the rules, they are changing them. One thing should be clear: as long as we are in the European Union, and there is no other scenario for Poland than our presence in the European community, as long as we have an independent, sovereign government, this string will always be taut. There will always be disputes and conflicts, and some sort of compromise will always have to be sought. It is a difficult path, but there is no other one. So what does it mean to „stand up”? After all, the other side is just waiting for it. We are standing up, working hard, and solving Poland’s problems.

There are those in the United Right camp who believe that this is the very essence of the trap. That at some point one must say: enough is enough.

There are obvious political calculations behind such a stance, but from my point of view it is a free ride in a vehicle that someone else has built and is piloting with great effort. The problem is, in a sense, universal: the logic by which the radical wings operate is different from the logic of those in charge of the whole; those who must think in terms of efficiency and effectiveness as well as political responsibility.

Is this „free ride” going to end up in a breakup? The deputy prime minister believes it will not:

First of all, Poland’s raison d’etre, Poland’s interest requires that we stay united, and secondly, there will always be a radical wing; this is inevitable in a democracy. We must find the best possible solution to this situation - just as we must pursue a wise and decisive policy in the face of pressure coming from the European Union. It is inevitable: there will always be some people whose main goal is to catch the next parliamentary term, while for others it is to effectively pursue the public welfare. Fortunately, the latter attitude still strongly prevails on our side. Politics is not entirely rational, but in order to be meaningful, it must be effective. And to be effective, it requires complex measures, subtle compromises, sometimes taking seemingly illogical actions. But on the other hand – we do not have to prove to anyone that in politics we also have the capacity to be bold, decisive and prophetic.

The Deputy Prime Minister stresses that Poland must not leave the European Union for many reasons:

Our society does not want it, and it would also be very costly from an economic point of view; we can see this clearly today through the example of Great Britain, which situation, after all, was not comparable to ours. And yet Brexit proved to be very costly for the society. Poland is strongly economically bound to Germany in particular. Any radical moves in this regard would be very irresponsible. Does this mean accepting endless concessions? Of course not. We are steadily strengthening our state and building our position in the Union - in order to become a country that is treated equally and has a joint decision-making role. We are accomplishing this in many fields. We are strengthening the economy, defence, identity, realizing a truly balanced social and territorial development, looking for qualities that unite Poles, but also bringing aid to Ukraine and Ukrainians, which was our duty and our raison d’etat, but which also improved our image in the world. We are using both hard tools and soft political processes. As a result, our sovereignty is being strengthened, not weakened. Time is working in favour of Poland.

All in all, assesses Prof. Glinski, „time is working in our favour.”

Nevertheless, we are constantly developing, racing, implementing thousands of investments, also in the area of culture. We are changing the country for the better. We are gaining allies in Europe. For this reason, we upset them so much: things are going too well from their point of view. I agree that there is a plan to close the system, to marginalize those areas where we have a say. However, we are blocking this - with facts, not chatter. We must not give up. And yet, the narratives that we can give Brussels a full-scale political war, knock over the table, and come out ahead are silly. Once again, I will emphasize - whoever believes this, whoever calls for this, is following the scenario of the Polish - God forbid - opposition and its principals….

„As long as we have an independent, sovereign government, this string will always be taut. There will always be disputes and conflicts, and there will always be a need to seek some sort of compromise”

— emphasizes the deputy prime minister.

The entire interview can be found in the latest issue of the weekly „Sieci”. We strongly recommend it!

Tłum. K.J.