Poland Throws Down the Gauntlet
The Conflict with the EU over the Rule of Law Escalates
Deutsche Fassung
Abstract
Poland’s conflict with the EU over the Polish government’s judicial reform and the norms of rule of law has intensified. Poland is unwilling to recognize a ruling from the European Court of Justice that declared the Disciplinary Chamber, the centrepiece of the Polish reform, illegal. Warsaw refuses to pay the fines imposed. In October 2021, Poland’s Constitutional Court ruled that the primacy of EU law contradicted the Polish constitution. The shrill word “Polexit” made the rounds. The Polish government has opted for confrontation with the EU. There are domestic political reasons for this, as support for the ruling Law and Justice party is in decline. But radicalization and confrontation will lead to a dead end.
(Osteuropa 8-9/2021, pp. 25–38)