Poland’s prime minister: New face, same old tune? by Agata Gostyńska-Jakubowska
The new prime minister’s style will be more emollient than his predecessor’s, but he is unlikely to back down on judicial reforms. Mateusz Morawiecki replaced Beata Szydło as Prime Minister of Poland on December 11th 2017. Morawiecki’s appointment has sparked hopes that Poland will change course. Relations between Warsaw and Brussels deteriorated after the electoral victory of the populist Law and Justice party (PiS) in October 2015; PiS has antagonised its EU partners with its attempts to undermine the rule of law and by opposing the EU’s refugee relocation policy. Morawiecki, who was previously deputy prime minister, and in charge of finance and development policies, is seen as the moderate face of PiS. In an attempt to appeal to more centrist voters and to improve Warsaw’s image abroad, Morawiecki replaced some of the most controversial figures from the last government. He sacked, among others, the environment minister who permitted the logging of the Bialowieza forest, a UNESCO world heritage site, and Foreign Minister Witold Waszczykowski (who made headlines for claiming that the fictional state of ‘San Escobar’ had supported Poland’s bid for a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council).
Photo: Morawiecki is a former CEO of one of Poland’s © European largest banks. He seems to understand that, as Union, 2018 in business, reputation and networking skills
help to achieve policy objectives. Unlike his predecessor, Morawiecki does not mind frequent trips to Brussels. On the day he revamped his government, Morawiecki also met the European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker. The European Commission statement after the dinner said that it took place in a friendly atmosphere. But a government facelift and one successful dinner will not be enough to smooth things out between Warsaw and Brussels. On December 20th, after two years of trying to bring the Polish government to heel, the European Commission proposed triggering Article 7 of the Treaty on the European Union (TEU), which is designed to respond to serious breaches of the EU’s democratic values by memberstates. The European Commission argued that the government had undermined judicial independence and thereby weakened the separation of powers in Poland. The basis of the Commission’s concern is that PiS has pushed through changes to the law governing the Constitutional Court and packed the court with party-friendly figures. This, in turn, has made it easier for PiS to introduce judicial reforms that undermine the Polish constitution. The new legislation increases the