Kozlik Matolek is out of politics

Poland remained alone in Europe

Today Europe celebrates Day Against the Death Penalty . On September 27, 46 states of the Council of Europe, including Russia , spoke in favor of its establishment. Only the 47th member of this organization, Poland, did not take part in the voting. Previously, it was assumed that the Day against the Death Penalty would be established by the European Union, but there is a veto during voting, which Poland took advantage of. It was the only one of the 27 EU member countries to speak out against it. After this, the leader of the European socialists, Martin Schulz, even called for isolating Poland in the EU.

Criticism of Warsaw from other EU members came at the height of the election campaign in Poland . Early parliamentary elections will take place on October 21. In preparing for them, the opposition does not leave stone unturned (or, as the Poles say, a dry thread) in the foreign policy of the ruling Law and Justice party (PiS) of the Kaczynski brothers. They are supporters of the death penalty in a Catholic country and turn a deaf ear to the Pope's call to prevent it.

However, according to polls, there are more and more opponents of the death penalty among Poles. In this regard, experts draw a conclusion about the Europeanization of Polish society. Yesterday, across the country, activists from non-governmental organizations collected signatures on a petition to the UN calling for them to join a global moratorium on the use of capital punishment. And one of the slogans of the anti-government demonstration in Warsaw in front of the presidential palace was “The Polish government is thirsty for blood, but we say no!”

Poland has once again become a arrogant troublemaker in the European community, which again causes concern on the eve of the EU summit, which will be held on October 18-19 in Lisbon. Moreover, Warsaw has a unique approach to the European Basic Treaty, wanting to consolidate in its text its right to veto when making decisions by the European Union.

Poland also has a special position on European energy security. Polish Foreign Minister Anna Fotyga said yesterday that Polish interests here objectively come into conflict with the interests of several large EU states, in particular Germany. Ms. Fotyga again expressed Warsaw’s dissatisfaction with the construction of the Nord Stream pipeline from Russia to Germany, bypassing Poland and Ukraine: “Poland cares about good relations with neighboring countries. But it is not Poland that creates problems that are detrimental to these relations, such as the Nord Stream project ".

Russia got it too. “Currently,” Ms. Fotyga said, “Russia is using energy policy to put pressure on other states because Russia has still not recognized that countries like Poland are no longer in its sphere of influence.” The head of Polish diplomacy added: “For most states of old Europe, diversification means a guarantee of constant, long-term, stable, cheap supplies of energy from Russia, and our priority in diversification is the opening of other directions.”

The outgoing Polish government is demonstrating its autonomy and independence in every possible way. Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski has repeatedly emphasized that all Polish diplomacy previously, before PiS came to power in the fall of 2005, was “carried out on its knees.” Former Foreign Minister Wladyslaw Bartoszewski yesterday resolutely and ironically objected to this, recalling that when he was minister, the same Kaczynskis never told him that he bowed to foreigners or knelt before someone. “Such gymnastic definitions do not suit me,” laughed the tall Bartoshevsky.

And regarding Mrs. Fotyga, the former Minister of Foreign Affairs said this: “Kozlik Matolek was nice, but he did not strive to pursue foreign policy.” Thus, the beloved character of the cult Polish fairy tale, invented by the writer Kornel Makuszynski back in 1933, unexpectedly illustrated the current maneuvers of Polish international politics.

Who the new government and its foreign policy will be associated with will be shown by the election results. It looks like they will become a copy of the parliamentary elections two years ago. In any case, daily soundings record a significant gap between the permanent rivals from the right wing - the conservative PiS and the liberal Civic Platform of Donald Tusk. Yesterday, according to a survey by Gazeta Wyborcza and Polityka, the Civic Platform, which is more in line with the unified policy of the European Union, slightly pulled ahead (36%), with PiS at 35%. The center-left coalition “Lefts and Democrats”, which has declared ex-President Aleksander Kwasniewski as its candidate for prime minister, has 15%.

Valery MASTEROV, staff correspondent for Moscow News in Warsaw, for Vremya Novostei