Berlin is engaged in a campaign to destabilize the Polish economy, claims Poland’s Deputy Foreign Minister Pawel Jablonski. According to him, German-backed media outlets and NGOs are actively working to hinder major economic investments in an effort to bring about a change of government in Warsaw.
Jablonski referred to a recent interview by Manfred Weber, the head of the European People’s Party (EPP) and a leading German politician, who described Poland’s ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party as enemies of the EPP. Weber accused the PiS of attacking the rule of law and free media, and stated that the EPP will fight against parties that do not uphold the rule of law.
This statement by Weber led Jablonski to question whether the main opposition party in Poland, Civic Platform, would condemn Weber’s words or align themselves with their German colleagues. The tensions between Germany and Poland have been escalating, with accusations and counter-accusations being traded.
Jablonski further alleged that Germany is behind media reports and activities by NGOs that aim to block strategic investments for Poland. He claimed that environmental protection is being used as a pretext to protect German companies from Polish competition and to bring about a change of government in Poland. He cited German-owned media that have admitted that they serve Berlin’s protectionist agenda, with the goal of blocking investments that compete with Germany.
The upcoming general election in Poland has further fueled political tensions between the ruling PiS party and the opposition. President Andrzej Duda has until August 14 to set the election date, and heated rhetoric is expected to continue in the coming months. The accusations and counter-accusations between the ruling party and the opposition have intensified, with each side trying to gain the upper hand.
Former EPP head Donald Tusk, who now leads the main opposition party, Civic Platform, has accused Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki of hyping the threat of the Wagner Group, a former Russian military company stationed in Belarus, to gain support in the upcoming election. Morawiecki retaliated by calling Tusk soft on Russia and accusing him of being a stooge of Brussels.
As the political temperature rises in Poland, it remains to be seen how these tensions between Germany and Poland will be resolved. The allegations of German interference in the Polish economy and the accusations between political parties are likely to dominate the political discourse in the coming months leading up to the general election.
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