The European Union "will begin to collapse" if it does not oppose the decision of the highest Polish court that national law has primacy over European laws, a senior official of the bloc said yesterday.
Poland's Constitutional Court ruled against a central principle of European integration last Sunday, escalating the conflict over core values between the Eurosceptics in power in Warsaw and most of the other 27 member states.
More than 100.000 people protested in Poland on Sunday in support of the EU, expressing fears that their country could follow Britain's lead and leave the bloc.
"If we do not support the principle in the EU that the same rules are followed equally everywhere in Europe, then the whole of Europe will begin to collapse," said the European Commissioner. Vera Jurova.
"That's why we will have to react to this new chapter that the Polish Constitutional Court has started to write", said Jurova.
One way or another, the court's decision will cost Warsaw, writes Reuters.
The agency reminds that the verdict followed a series of disputes in which many Western countries, organizations and activists for the protection of human rights accuse Poland of stifling the independence of the media and the judiciary, as well as undermining the rights of women, migrants and LGBT people since the Law and Justice party (PiS ) came to power in 2015.
The commission, which is the guardian of EU charters, has already delayed the approval of Poland's recovery plan, which is necessary for Warsaw to access the billions of euros earmarked by the EU for economic recovery from the pandemic.
In addition to blocking Poland's access to EU recovery funds, the Commission could use a new and hitherto unused instrument to suspend funding to countries deemed to be in breach of key European law values.
Other countries could also renew proceedings on the undermining of democratic rights in Poland, which could result in the suspension of Warsaw's voice in the bloc.
The EC could also sue Warsaw again for violating EU law, which could result in penalties being imposed on the Polish government by the European Court of Justice.
Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki yesterday he rejected the idea of the so-called "polegit". "This is a harmful myth with which the opposition compensates for the lack of ideas about Poland's adequate position in Europe," he said.
Support for EU membership is extremely high in Poland, the largest ex-communist country in the bloc and a major beneficiary of EU financial aid aimed at helping poorer members catch up with the development of richer countries.
"The dispute is credit negative. Poland is a significant user of EU funds, which was a key driver of growth and harmonization of wages at the EU level," said the financial analyst Stefan Dyk.
Poland would therefore harm its economic potential, especially if it is taken into account that it is scheduled to receive 23 billion in grants and 34 billion in cheap loans from the EU recovery fund.
The EC announced yesterday that it will send a request to Poland for the payment of a penalty due to the lignite mine in Turovo, near the Czech border, which Prague claims is harming the environment on the territory of the Czech Republic.
Warsaw ignored a European Court of Justice ruling in May ordering it to cease operations at the mine, prompting the Luxembourg-based tribunal on September 20 to fine Poland 500 euros a day until it complies with the ruling and shuts down the mine.
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