Poland’s minister for the European Union resigned Wednesday amid the government’s fracture with the 27-nation bloc and internal tensions.
Konrad Szymanski’s departure was interpreted as a weakening of Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki’s team at a time of emerging tensions within the government over the crisis of power and tactics to counter inflation and the emerging burden of living.
Poland’s right has had differences with Brussels, leading for its record on the rule of law and democracy, which led to a freeze on the EU budget for Poland’s pandemic recovery.
“It’s not smart when a pro-European minister leaves and will probably be replaced by someone decidedly more anti-European,” said left-wing opposition lawmaker Lukasz Kohut.
Szymanski, who served as minister of European Union affairs since 2019, told reporters that if “governments change, it is (Poland) a country” and that its interests and position in Europe will not be affected by political changes.
He said attempts to resolve Poland’s big dispute with the EU “are facing all sorts of obstacles in both Poland and Brussels and I think a new opening, also in the form of a new person, could help. “
“I believe my successor will have the same experience, professionalism and determination for the cause and pursue a policy that will be in line with Poland’s interests in the EU,” Szymanski said.
President Andrzej Duda officially accepted Szymanski’s resignation, as well as that of Morawiecki’s cabinet leader, Michal Dworczyk. Duda appointed the new cabinet leader, Marek Kuchcinski, of the main ruling Law and Justice and former president of the reduced space of parliament. .
Later on Wednesday, Morawiecki said Deputy Foreign Minister Szymon Szynkowski vel Sek would be the new minister for the EU.
Dworczyk resigned last month for unpublic reasons. Unidentified hackers have been posting emails from their own account related to litigation and government decisions for months. The government insisted the emails were fake, but some cases and other people discussed in the emails reported that they were genuine.
Dworczyk and other members of Morawiecki’s government said they believed in the hacking component of a Russian disinformation campaign.
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