Euroviews. Europe, defend the rule of law in Poland! | View

Europe, defend the rule of law in Poland! | View
Copyright REUTERS / Kacper Pempel
By Euronews
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The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not represent in any way the editorial position of Euronews.

Open letter to the European Commission

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Open letter to the European Commission by former Polish presidents, prime ministers, foreign ministers and leaders of the anti-communist opposition:

Since the fall of communism in 1989, Poland was one of the pioneers of the democratic transformations of Eastern and Central Europe. The culmination of the changes was marked by our accession to NATO and the European Union. Poland and its citizens, with their whole hearts and minds, were building the foundations of the democratic state and the rule of law that is one of the most vital merits of the united, free and democratic Europe.

On July 3rd, the Supreme Court reform bill enters into force in Poland. It will eventually disestablish the tripartite division of powers model, the model that is the essence of the democratic rule of law and the foundation for the identity of the European Union as an institution and an idea of unified states.

The mechanisms to defend of the rule of law in Poland proved to be ineffective.

Despite a strong resistance and a vociferous objection raised from the depths of the society, the ruling party completes the act of dismantling of the tripartite division of powers in Poland, explicitly violating Polish Constitution.

We, the citizens of Poland, also considering ourselves citizens of Europe, are convinced of the importance and significance of a free, democratic and lawfully ruled Poland in the European Union and therefore appeal to the European Commission and the Council of the European Union to remain committed to the fundamental principles of article 2 of the Treaty on European Union.

We do not abandon hope that the Polish governing authorities and the parliamentary majority will declare readiness for a fair dialogue with the institutions of the European Union and the politics that undermine our common European principles will be redirected.

The last administrative level that can defend the law and order in Poland is the European Union.

There will be no democratic Poland without the rule of law.

There will be no European Union without principles.

There will be no freedom without law and order.

Lech Wałęsa, President of Poland in 1990 – 1995, Nobel Peace Prize winner, first leader of the Solidarity movement

Aleksander Kwaśniewski, President of Poland in 1995 – 2000, 2000 – 2005,

Bronisław Komorowski, President of Poland in 2010 – 2015

Włodzimierz Cimoszewicz, Prime Minister of Poland in 1996 – 1997, Minister of Foreign Affairs in 2001 – 2005

Leszek Miller, Prime Minister of Poland in 2001 – 2004

Marek Belka, Prime Minister of Poland in 2004 – 2005

Kazimierz Marcinkiewicz, Prime Minister of Poland in 2005 – 2006

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Andrzej Olechowski, Minister of Foreign Affairs in 1993 – 1995

Dariusz Rosati, Minister of Foreign Affairs in 1995 – 1997

Adam Rotfeld, Minister of Foreign Affairs in 2005 – 2005

Radosław Sikorski, Minister of Foreign Affairs in 2007 – 2014

Władysław Frasyniuk, underground Solidarity movement leader, political prisoner in 1982 – 1986

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Bogdan Lis, underground Solidarity movement leader, political prisoner in 1984 – 1986

Zbigniew Bujak, underground Solidarity movement leader, political prisoner, Arrested in 1986

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