Polish PM and EU chief clash over speaking time in parliament

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Poland’s Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki has become embroiled in a furious spat on the floor of the European Union Parliament after his address to MEPs was cut short. The Polish leader refused to end his address went prompted by the second Vice President to the European Parliament, Pedro Silva Pereira. Mr Pererira was chairing the EU Plenary session and demanded that the Polish leader stop speaking after Mr Morawiecki ran over his allotted speaking time.

The Polish Prime Minister told the European Parliament plenary: “The decisions in the EU must not be taken by changes in the interpretation of…”

“35 minutes so I will use my time,” he snapped following an attempted interruption by the plenary chairman.

“I cannot confirm that,” replied Vice-President Pereira.

Mr Morawiecki continued: “Success… I’m coming to my end but don’t disturb me.”

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He continued: “So the success of European integration was based on the fact that the law was a result of the mechanisms that collected us in all the different areas.

“Now trying to reverse this mechanism, trying to impose law is really questioning the mechanism that created the success of European integration.”

It comes after the pair clashed over the length of the Polish leader’s remarks.

Mr Pereira scolded Polish Prime Minister: “You will take note that I was extremely flexible with regarding the allocated time.

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“Nobody can say that you didn’t have time enough to give explanations to the European Parliament.

“But the respect for the allocated time is also respect to this house and the European democracy.”

Mr Morawiecki’s Law and Justice (PiS) party government is embroiled in a battle of values with Brussels, focused on disputes over the independence of courts, media freedoms, LGBT rights, and other issues.

Earlier this month Poland’s highest court ruled that some parts of EU treaties are incompatible with the Polish constitution, challenging a pillar of European integration and sharply escalating the dispute between Brussels and Warsaw.

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 The prime minister had requested the Constitutional Tribunal to rule on whether EU law has primacy over the Polish constitution.

“We want a community of respect and not a grouping of those who are equal and more equal.

“This is our community, our Union,” he said in the Facebook post, referring to the European Union.

“This is the kind of Union we want and that’s the kind of Union we will create,” Morawiecki said in the post published ahead of the ruling.

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