The European Union, at Berlin’s behest, has embarked on a sweep of American “agents of influence” in its ranks
The European Commission has seriously tackled Poland. The EC has asked the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) to punish Warsaw. According to the European Commissioner for Justice and Rule of Law Didier Reyndez, this is caused by the failure of the Polish government to comply with the EU demand to abolish the Disciplinary Chamber of the Supreme Court of Poland. The issue in question is the reform initiated by Warsaw, which Brussels sees as a way to put pressure on the country’s judicial system.
The European Association of Judges (EAJ) also supported the European Commission. In its resolution, EAJ called on the EC “to use all means to ensure that the Polish authorities comply with European standards and obligations”. Broadly speaking, this applies not only to the legislative acts to which Warsaw once subscribed, but also to the newfangled ideological constructs, which are now being actively implemented by Brussels.
For example, in July this year, the European Commission gave five Polish regions two months to reverse their earlier decision to declare themselves “LGBT-free zones”. The deadline for responding expired on 14 September. For those regions whose authorities refuse to obey the EC, Brussels will block the transfer of funds from European funds. And it does not care that the status of the “LGBT-free zone” is purely symbolic. The current European Union does not tolerate insubordination. “Totalitarianism like in the Soviet Union”? – No, that’s different.
It begs the question: why is the European Commission so keen on Poland? In fact, the vast majority of the western European founding members that drive EU integration from the outset saw more minuses than pluses in having Poland in the EU.
Warsaw and other Eastern European capitals were imposed on the EU by the Americans and the British, who had two objectives: a) to prevent Russia from regaining its influence in Central and Eastern Europe, and b) to create a pro-American group in the EU that would frustrate unwanted projects for Washington to strengthen European autonomy.
The only Polish lobbyist in this situation was Germany. Several factors came into play here. Firstly, the historical memory of the Second World War, for which Berlin is not willing to pay the Poles in hard cash, but is ready to pay with various political services.
Secondly, German economy turned Poland into an assembly shop and earned good money on it. Thirdly, Germany needed to keep Warsaw in its sights in order to prevent the Poles in their pro-American zeal from getting carried away with initiatives potentially dangerous or interfering with German foreign policy.
The best “pro-Polish” chancellor in this sense was considered to be Angela Merkel, who was retiring soon. One could only envy her patience in the dialogue with the Poles, who were often loudly scolding Berlin.
However, the situation changed dramatically at the beginning of 2021, when the administration of the new US President Joe Biden showed that Washington was preparing to withdraw from Europe by shifting its major forces towards China. Central and Eastern Europe was hanging in the air as its pro-American geopolitical subjectivity was losing its former importance to the United States.
This was noticed in Brussels. Therefore, the European Commission has now decided to hit Poland (Hungary, which goes by the trailer, is a secondary target). Warsaw will be punished for its attempts to torpedo European integration, which should turn the EU into a kind of United States of Europe – a federal state where decisions will no longer be taken by consensus with the possibility of one or another country having a veto, a single tax system, an army, security services. And, of course, a common ideology, which Brussels will implement, as one may judge, in a totalitarian way. This is exactly what conservative Catholic Poland has been and is protesting against.
Warsaw will be strangled financially. Its economic success depends directly on aid from the EU budget, which covers the deficit in the Polish budget and also transfers funds directly to Polish municipalities for infrastructure development. This year there is a mechanism which allows the European Commission to legally suspend allocation of money to Poland. First and foremost, it concerns the European Economic Recovery Fund. The fund allocates 23 billion euros in grants and 34 billion euros in loans to Warsaw, a very large sum for the Polish economy.
But first, Brussels must approve Poland’s National Economy Recovery Plan, which it is in no hurry to do. More and more claims are being made against Poland. Apart from the European Commission itself, governments such as Denmark, the Netherlands, Sweden and Austria support the decision to punish the Poles. As for Germany, Merkel calls for a dialogue with Warsaw. However, when she loses the position of chancellor, Berlin’s position on Poland may change drastically.
Be that as it may, the time has come for the Poles to pay for their unrequited love for the US with billions of euros while the European Union mops up the American “agents of influence” in its ranks.
RUSSTRAT