Polish criticism of European Union

[Bonobo]

Despite being confirmed Euro enthusiasts, with average support at 80%, the highest in EU, Poles sometimes feel wronged by Brussels eurocrats and politicians.

E.g.,

biznes.interia.pl/wiadomosci/news/wysokie-zbiory-martwia-produc entow-i-rolnikow,1874157
This article reads that due to good weather, sugar beetroot crops were at record level this year. But euro quotas imposed on Poland`s sugar production say it is illegal to produce more than we are allowed to.
To make matters worse, the consumption of sugar in Poland is higher that our production and we regularly have to import about 200.000 tonnes each year.

Sugar prices have doubled over a few years. And a dozen or more sugar plants have been closed in Poland too.

No wonder that both farmers, sugar plant workers and average sugar shoppers feel a bit angry about it.

[Bonobo]

Polish side claims that Brussels is too quick to administer the freeze of €4 billion for Polish roads.

euobserver.com/economic/118897

BRUSSELS - The European Commission has blocked over €4 billion of money for Polish roads, causing dismay in the run-up to an EU budget summit next week.
It took the decision after the Polish prosecutor accused 11 people - 10 of them CEOs of large construction firms and one of them a director in Poland's road agency, the GDDKiA - of colluding to fix prices for tenders for EU-co-funded projects.
The frozen money concerns €4 billion of unspent Polish allocations from the EU's 2007 to 2013 budget in the "infrastructure & environment" programme.

www.thenews.pl/1/2/Artykul/125676,EU-suspends-Polish-road-fundi ng-after-cartel-allegations

“The Polish system of selecting projects and contractors is running efficiently,” said Minister Elzbieta Bienkowska in an interview with Polish Radio.
“Poland is the aggrieved party in this matter, as it was Polish law enforcement agencies that detected that perhaps there was some price-fixing between contractors,” she said.
However, Minister Bienkowska has suggested that Poland should not be penalised, reflecting that “you would have to assign a policeman to every contractor,” to assure that there was no risk of any foul play.

[Bonobo]

EU should not try to be a superstate: Polish FM
29.05.2016 08:00
The European Union should not strive to become a superstate, Polish Foreign Minister Witold Waszczykowski has
In an interview published in German newspaper Die Welt, Waszczykowski also called for "a comprehensive debate on strengthening the sovereignty of [EU member] states."
Waszczykowski added: "We should solve problems at the lowest possible level."
The Polish parliament, dominated by the conservative Law and Justice (PiS) party, pointed an accusing finger at Brussels last Friday, voting through a resolution calling on the government to "defy all actions infringing" on Poland’s sovereignty.
In his interview with Die Welt, published on Saturday, Waszczykowski did, however, say there are areas where deeper European integration would be desirable, such as an energy union, strengthening the single market, digitization and a common security policy.
- See more at: www.thenews.pl/1/10/Artykul/254725,EU-should-not-try-to-be-a%E2%80%AD-%E2%80%ACsuperstate%E2%80%AD-%E2%80%ACPolish-FM#sthash.ME3FN0y7.dpuf

[pjotr]

Dear Bonobo,

In my opinion the EU should focus on it's original purpose and that is economics. That was the aim of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) (1952–2002). It is an economical union in my view. We should keep our independence, sovereignty, authonomy and selfrule as European states. The EU should focus on Financial, Monetary, Economical, border crossing crime, fraude, corruption, nepotism and military cooperation in Europe. But internal affairs should be and stay the business of the European democracies themselves.

The EU should focus on the larger frameworks, treaties and International affairs of the continent Europe and the Nation states should focus on their regional, national and local affairs. If the EU focusses on the European innermarket, European legislation, Pan-European cooperation on fighting terrorism and crime (Interpol, International court and etc.) then it's ok, when the EU messes with internal affairs of for instance the Netherlands, Poland and Denmark, than that is not ok.

The EU should be controlled by both the National parlaiments as the European parliaments. The European parlaiment can't be trusted entirely, because the European parlaimentarians can have secret higher aims, like a top European civil servant position in Brussels for the European Commission, or a future position as European Commissioner. You never know. We have to always check every bureaucracy whether it is the Warsaw, Brussels, UN or Washington bureaucracy.

Cheers,
Pieter

[pjotr]

Bonobo,

From the other side I believe that the European Union as a value community of nations who cares about Democracy, Freedom, Human rights, liberties, equality, the spread of wealth, freedom of expression, the Trias Politica (The separation of powers), democratic values, christian humanism (of the European Christian-democrats and Christian political parties) and secular humanism (of the European Social-democrats, liberals and secular conservatives), Peace and stability should be able to criticize certain nations who are in a borderline situation between democracy and authoritarian tendencies. I agree with European criticism of Turkey, Poland and Hungary for instance. The EU has to be strict on those values, because the EU itself is "founded on the values of respect for human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law and respect for human rights, including the rights of persons belonging to minorities ... in a society in which pluralism, non-discrimination, tolerance, justice, solidarity and equality between women and men prevail." These values are very important to me and other Europeans who are both Patriots and sympathetic to the EU like me.

Cheers,
Pieter

[Bonobo]

Peter, I agree with everything you wrote.
Being a EU member requires compromise and adoption of certain universal values, one for all, all for one. Only as a unity can we resist conflicts which tore Europe apart in the past. Although sluggish and beaurocratic, European Union has been able to keep peace on the continent.

[pjotr]

And I totally agree with you too. It's a great achievement that for 70 years we managed to avoid a Third World war or other conflicts like the Franco-Prussian War (19 July 1870 – 10 May 1871), the First World War (1914-1918), the Second World War (1939-1945), Korea, Vietnam, Cambodja, Iraq and Syria. The long lasting peace between France and Germany and between Germany and Great Britain is a great achievement. Let's keep it that way!