Polish PM, V4 counterparts to hold talks with EU’s Juncker

Polish Prime Minister Beata Szydło and her Czech, Slovak and Hungarian counterparts are to meet the European Commission president, Jean-Claude Juncker, in Brussels on Wednesday evening.

The four prime ministers have been invited for talks by Juncker ahead of a European Union summit scheduled for Thursday and Friday, according to Polish government spokesman Rafał Bochenek.

The politicians are expected to discuss Britain’s impending departure from the European Union, in addition to legislative issues and Europe’s migration crisis, Bochenek has said.

A month ago, in his State of the Union speech, Juncker said it was crucial for the EU to preserve unity and equality. He also said that “Europe needs to breathe with both its lungs: the eastern lung and the western lung. Otherwise our continent will suffocate.”

Juncker also spoke against what is being referred to as dual quality of food products, a problem highlighted by Poland, Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Hungary, which together form a regional cooperation platform known as the Visegrad Group (V4).

Szydło was scheduled to depart for Brussels on Wednesday afternoon.

The meeting with Juncker comes as Warsaw is locked in a slew of disputes with Brussels, including an ongoing row over the rule of law in Poland, observers note.

The European Commission has also threatened legal action against EU member states including Poland that refuse to accept the bloc's refugee quota system. Procedures against Poland’s alleged “illegal” logging in the Białowieża Forest are under way, and the European Commission has also launched proceedings over sweeping judicial changes.

Referring to the string of complaints in Brussels against Warsaw, Polish Foreign Minister Witold Waszczykowski said in August that the European Commission is waging a "policy of harassment" and is "discriminating against Poland." (gs/pk)

Source: IAR