Strasbourg, 15/11/2007 (Agence Europe) - MEPs in a “left and democrat” coalition have called on Poland's new Prime Minister Donald Tusk to quickly change his country's stance on the Charter of Fundamental Rights, and, especially, not to give in to pressure from the Kaczynski brothers' conservative “Right and justice” (PiS) party, which is threatening to block ratification of the new EU treaty if Tusk approves the charter.
At a press conference on Wednesday 14 November, Bronislaw Geremek (ALDE, Poland) said it was “essential” that Poland “lifts its reservations” on the text of the charter before the forthcoming Lisbon summit on 13 December, at which EU leaders will officially sign the new treaty. It would be a “humiliation” for Poland if it were not to adopt the charter, which, once the treaty comes into effect, will have force of law. Andrzej Szejna (PES, Poland) said it was imperative to give in to political pressure (from the PiS party). He said it was possible that Poland might hold a referendum on the ratification of the treaty and, therefore, on the Charter of Fundamental Rights too.
“It is shocking that the PiS government could have caused such fear in the minds of the citizens of its own country,” says a joint statement by MEPs from the “left and democrat” coalition. They note that the negative attitude of the government of Jaroslaw Kaczynski was based on its fears of possible legislation on abortion, euthanasia and homosexual marriages, and on concerns about possible weakening of Polish citizens' property rights. The charter contains nothing that could support such fears, so Poland should remove the opt-out clause negotiated by the outgoing government, say Szejna and Geremek, leaders respectively of the Polish delegations of the PES and ALDE groups. (L.C.)
European Parliament Plenary Session