The leader of the Polish conservative opposition, Jarosław Kaczynski, raised the issue of possible negotiations for Poland's exit from the European Union if the union is not changed according to his ideas. The statement provoked a sharp reaction from the pro-European government in Warsaw.
Kaczynski, who leads the "Law and Justice" (PiS) party, said that the European Commission is a "very harmful institution that should not exist". He also demanded the development of a new treaty between the member states.
„Everything starts with negotiations and we certainly have to start them. This is a difficult and risky method, but the situation is so critical that it is worth resorting to it if all else fails,“ said Kaczynski.According to him, the current European treaties determine the conditions for a member state to leave if demands for change are not met. Thus, for the first time in the current political dispute, the PiS leader directly linked his insistence on EU reform to the possibility of “Polexit“.
Sharp reaction from the government
Prime Minister Donald Tusk said that he would wage a “fierce fight“ against Poland's exit from the European Union. In a post on the social network “Ex“ he wrote that Kaczynski had announced the need for the country to begin negotiations on the terms of its exit.
“It is against such a goal, among other things, that a fierce fight is being waged in Poland today. A merciless fight. I do not intend to lose it“, Tusk wrote.Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski said that a possible exit from the EU would mean a customs border with Germany, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Lithuania, as well as identity checks at airports. He also pointed to the termination of European subsidies for farmers and investments.
Sikorski also linked the dispute to the SAFE initiative for financing defense projects. Under it, Poland could receive 43.7 billion euros. The country is a neighbor of Russia and Belarus and is among the most active supporters of Ukraine.
PiS's position and the political context
The “PiS“ party was in power in Poland between 2015 and 2023. Some of its reforms during this period were defined in Brussels as contradicting the principles of the rule of law.
PiS believes that the policy of the European Union is determined by the founding states, especially Germany. The party insists that Berlin pay 1.3 trillion euros in reparations for Nazi crimes committed during World War II.
Kaczynski said that the political mood in Europe is starting to change in favor of his camp. He pointed to a possible victory of Marine Le Pen in the presidential elections in France and the possibility of the Spanish party “Vox“ to become a decisive political factor after parliamentary elections in the country.
PiS contributed significantly to the election of nationalist Karol Nawrocki as president of Poland in June 2025. The ruling majority regularly accuses the party of getting closer to the Eurosceptic far right, whose support it believes is growing ahead of the next parliamentary elections in Poland.
Sources: bta.bg, polskieradio.pl, wiadomosci.gazeta.pl