"‘No Polexit’ Tens of Thousands of Poles Take to the Streets... EU Considers Imposing Fines"

[Asia Economy Reporter Yujin Cho] Tens of thousands gathered in the Polish capital Warsaw to protest against Poland's potential exit from the European Union (EU), dubbed 'Polexit,' the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported on the 11th (local time).

Banners with slogans such as "I want to stay in Europe" and "No Polexit," along with Polish flags being waved, quickly spread on social media, showing scenes of street protests. The protests, led by opposition parties, took place simultaneously across Poland, with more than 80,000 people gathering in Warsaw alone, according to foreign media reports.

The protesters especially voiced concerns that Polexit, likened to the UK's EU exit 'Brexit,' must not become a reality. Unlike the UK, an overwhelming majority of Poles hope to remain EU members, WSJ reported.

The protests were triggered after Poland's Constitutional Tribunal ruled on the 7th that joining the EU did not mean legally transferring sovereignty to the EU, and that the Polish constitution takes precedence over EU law, raising fears of Polexit.

(Photo by AP)

Poland's ruling Law and Justice Party has been in conflict with the EU since coming to power in 2015 by attempting to control the judiciary and media independence.

This spring, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruled that the Polish government violated EU law by attempting to seize control of the judiciary. In response, the Polish Prime Minister filed a constitutional complaint asking to clarify which holds supremacy?the ECJ's decision or the Polish constitution?arguing that the EU's authority has exceeded its limits.

An EU Commission spokesperson did not disclose specific plans to respond to Poland's actions. According to a senior EU official, there is deep concern that if an EU member state questions and invalidates EU treaties through its constitutional court, the legal and political authority of the EU will gradually erode.

The representative of the EU Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee office in Warsaw warned, "Allowing the fundamental principles of the European Union to be ignored means the end of the EU," signaling a strong response.

The ECJ is expected to decide whether to impose fines on Poland for violating EU law through judicial control attempts. WSJ reported that the EU is likely to pressure Poland by leveraging subsidies paid to Eastern European member states.

The EU previously suspended the disbursement of 36 billion euros in COVID-19 economic recovery funds to Poland in May due to conflicts over judicial independence. Poland, the largest country in Eastern Europe, received the highest subsidies among EU member states last year, totaling 12.5 billion euros.

In 2004, fourteen years after the collapse of the Soviet Union and the fall of communist regimes in Eastern Europe, Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia, and the three Baltic states joined the EU simultaneously.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.