European Union president Donald Tusk and Polish leader Andrzej Duda on Monday urged calm after the EU launched an unprecedented probe to determine if controversial legal changes in Poland violated democratic norms.
President Duda, speaking alongside Tusk following a meeting in Brussels, said "what is needed is a calm dialogue with calmed-down emotions."
His host Tusk, a former Polish prime minister, repeatedly stressed the need for "restraint and a sense of reasonable language."
"Poland does not have enemies at the EU or in Brussels," Tusk said in remarks translated from Polish.
"I do not want my country to be in a position where it is criticised, scrutinised, but I believe the European Commission is acting in good faith," he said.
At the same time, Tusk said he could "imagine that this could be achieved by other methods without triggering this procedure."
Last week, the European Commission, the EU's executive arm, invoked for the first time a "Rule of Law" mechanism to launch an initial investigation of changes to the constitutional court introduced by Poland's new right-wing government to see if they breach EU democracy norms and merit punitive measures.
The Commission will also look into measures to increase government control over state media adopted by the conservative, eurosceptic Law and Justice party (PiS) which won power in October elections.
Many member states in the 28-nation EU see the changes as symptomatic of a return to nationalist, anti-EU sentiment in the bloc's newer eastern European members, who for their part resent Brussels telling them what to do, especially how to handle the recent massive influx of refugees from the Middle East.
Duda said he believed Tusk understood developments in Poland very well and both men agreed on the need for "calming down this debate, to base this debate on real facts."
European Union president Donald Tusk and Polish leader Andrzej Duda on Monday urged calm after the EU launched an unprecedented probe to determine if controversial legal changes in Poland violated democratic norms.
President Duda, speaking alongside Tusk following a meeting in Brussels, said “what is needed is a calm dialogue with calmed-down emotions.”
His host Tusk, a former Polish prime minister, repeatedly stressed the need for “restraint and a sense of reasonable language.”
“Poland does not have enemies at the EU or in Brussels,” Tusk said in remarks translated from Polish.
“I do not want my country to be in a position where it is criticised, scrutinised, but I believe the European Commission is acting in good faith,” he said.
At the same time, Tusk said he could “imagine that this could be achieved by other methods without triggering this procedure.”
Last week, the European Commission, the EU’s executive arm, invoked for the first time a “Rule of Law” mechanism to launch an initial investigation of changes to the constitutional court introduced by Poland’s new right-wing government to see if they breach EU democracy norms and merit punitive measures.
The Commission will also look into measures to increase government control over state media adopted by the conservative, eurosceptic Law and Justice party (PiS) which won power in October elections.
Many member states in the 28-nation EU see the changes as symptomatic of a return to nationalist, anti-EU sentiment in the bloc’s newer eastern European members, who for their part resent Brussels telling them what to do, especially how to handle the recent massive influx of refugees from the Middle East.
Duda said he believed Tusk understood developments in Poland very well and both men agreed on the need for “calming down this debate, to base this debate on real facts.”
