Former Polish Prime Minister and current MEP Beata Szydło has announced that she will request an extraordinary meeting of the European Parliament's European Democratic Shield Committee. She insists that it should discuss the actions of Donald Tusk's government, which she says violate democratic rules in Poland.
“I am requesting an extraordinary meeting of the European Democratic Shield Committee in the European Parliament to discuss the actions of the Tusk government, which violate democracy“, Szydło wrote. According to her, the commission was established to monitor violations of democratic processes in European Union countries.
The dispute over the Constitutional Tribunal
As a specific reason, Szydlo pointed to the crisis over the Constitutional Tribunal in Warsaw. She emphasized that her request does not only concern the actions surrounding the court, but also the overall policy of the ruling party.
Szydlo claims that the actions of Tusk and his allies could lead to the prevention of “fully democratic elections“ in Poland. This is a political assessment of the former prime minister, and there is no confirmation from Polish institutions in the available information that the government plans to restrict the electoral process.
As an argument, Szydlo referred to an article by journalist Krzysztof Stanowski. She did not specify a date for the meeting and the committee has not yet decided on its scheduling.
Szydło's warnings about the European mechanism
Szydło, who heads the “Law and Justice“ delegation in the European Parliament, has already expressed reservations about the way the European Democratic Shield is being developed. In September, she said that the protection of democracy should not serve as a basis for restricting political choice or for the European Union to interfere in the internal processes of member states.
The European Democratic Shield is a framework of the European Union to counter foreign interference, disinformation and other threats to democratic processes. According to information about the initiative, it includes measures to protect elections, the information environment and democratic sustainability.
The next step is for Szydło to formally submit the proposal. There is currently no public confirmation of when the committee will consider the request or whether an extraordinary meeting will be called.
Sources: radiomaryja.pl, ground.news