On Sunday evening, Polish leader Jarosław Kaczyński posted on social media addressing Jan Rokita’s remarks about EU reforms, declaring he must respond.
Kaczyński’s Evening Post: Response to Rokita
On Sunday, 7 December, Jarosław Kaczyński posted a message on social‑media networks. He said, “I rarely react to lies that appear in the media, but this time—given that a very serious person, Jan Rokita, appeared in one of my articles—I must respond.” He added that the issue concerns fundamental changes proposed in the European Union. He argued that processes currently taking place in the EU forum, related to treaty changes, aim at far‑reaching centralisation of the Union. He insisted that he has consistently pointed out that the centralisation process is more dangerous and risky for member states, including Poland, than federalisation.
He cited his 2021 remarks about the future of the EU as additional context for the post.
What Rokita Wrote: Critique of Nawroki and Kaczyński
In a column for the weekly “W Sieci,” Jan Rokita discussed the President of Poland’s EU plans. He said that Karol Nawroki first posed the thesis that the EU pursues an offensive of centralisation disguised as federalisation. Rokita noted that it is the first time a Polish right‑wing politician has highlighted this important distinction. He also addressed the PiS leadership, saying that leaders often use the terms “federalism” and “federalist” almost as political insults, while genuine federalism involves strict regulation and limiting the power of a central authority while decentralising and dispersing power.
Rokita characterised today’s fanatics who seek to expand the power of the EU centre as Euro‑centralists who are turning the quasicentralised rules of Europe upside down.
Nawroki’s Vision for the EU: Condemning Centralisation
In late November, Karol Nawroki visited Prague and presented his vision for the European Union. He called for rejecting the trend toward EU centralisation, arguing that centralisation would weaken member states except for the two largest countries. He warned that it could lead to a loss of sovereignty and the weakening of national democracies. Nawroki also proposed abolishing the position of President of the European Council, insisting that the role should be held by a democratically elected politician—such as a president, prime minister, or chancellor—rather than a civil‑service bureaucrat dependent on the support of major EU powers.