The head of the Polish Parliament’s influential EU Affairs Committee has lashed out at the Commission chief for failing to respond to a letter demanding answers over Ms Von der Leyen’s “open” support for Poland’s main opposition party. Kacper Plazynski, a rising star in Poland’s governing Law and Justice Party (PIS) is not willing to let the snub go unanswered and raised the issue during an exclusive interview with Express.co.uk in Warsaw this week.
In the letter, Mr Plazynski had demanded Ms Von der Leyen provide “an adequate explanation” for a speech made to the European People’s Party Congress in May during which the Commission President appeared to express support for Donald Tusk in the former EU council president’s bid to became Polish Prime Minister.
Mr Plazynski wrote: “When you addressed Mr Donald Tusk in your speech, you expressed your conviction that ‘When we meet again, we will see you, as you said, as Prime Minister.’
“The words he uttered cannot be perceived otherwise as an expression of support for Mr. Donald Tusk’s aspirations to become Prime Minister in Poland.”
He added: “A part of public opinion in Poland even perceives the statement as unlawful interference by European Union bodies into the internal affairs of a sovereign state – a member of the EU.”
Mr Plazynski sent the letter on September 27 and says he has still not heard back from the EU Commission President.
He told Express.co.uk “It is not just the fact she didn’t want to come, it is the fact she didn’t even bother to respond. Even to say no, nothing.
“This is the head of the EU Commission being invited by Polish government MPs, of an EU member state, and she is basically telling us to get lost.”
Commenting on Ms Von der Leyen’s apparent support for Donald Tusk – the leader of the Polish opposition party Civic Platform, Mr Plazynski asked: “Where is the fairness in that?
Marek Kuchcinski MP, Chief of the Prime Minister’s Chancellery told Express.co.uk: “There is a political impact from the EU on Poland, especially as the Law and Justice government took power which is the conservative right-wing group that currently rules in Poland.
“I believe we have a situation where the EU is trying by some means to have an impact or even change the government in Poland.
“Therefore they have been blocking various money for Poland, for example from the [Covid] recovery fund.
“They try to find certain legal reasons but I believe that this is not according to the EU law what they have been doing, they have also been breaking the law.”
