Isabelle Ory, edited by Manon Fossat 7:40 am, October 21, 2021

It is an open conflict between the European Union and Poland.

In question, the rejection by Warsaw of the supremacy of European law.

A disagreement that is imposed on the agenda of the summit of the leaders of the Twenty-Seven, meeting this Thursday and Friday in Brussels, and who will try to bend the inflexible Polish Prime Minister.

The crisis with Poland is more acute than ever.

Since Warsaw called into question a fundamental principle of the European Union, namely the primacy of European law, the leaders of the member countries have tried to bend the Polish Prime Minister, Mateusz Morawiecki, who remains inflexible and denounces for his part the EU "blackmail".

The situation has even led some states, including the Netherlands, to ask that the subject be broached at the meeting to be held in Brussels this Thursday and Friday.

Find a landing field

The leaders cannot indeed let pass the insult, too serious.

But they also do not want to further aggravate the crisis and risk European paralysis.

This summit is therefore a very political key moment.

"We will have to show finesse," said a diplomat.

"The Polish Prime Minister seems confident. Now he has to hear the others," said another source.

But some plan to step up to the plate and demand head-on accountability, such as the Prime Minister of the Netherlands.

>> Find the morning show of the day in replay and podcast here

Behind the scenes, others are trying to repair the damage.

Angela Merkel and Emmanuel Macron will try to have a tête-à-tête with Mateusz Morawiecki.

The goal is to allow him to gently save face and find a landing field.

Meanwhile, the European Commission is preparing the baton and the legal response.

It has in fact still not given the green light to the Polish recovery plan.

Enough to perhaps give way to the head of government in Warsaw.

But on this side nothing is less certain.

Under communism, the latter had given nothing to the regime police, even when they had made them dig their own grave. 

"Stay but under the same conditions"

But while the European Commission withholds more than 30 billion euros of funds intended for the country, some inhabitants who depend entirely on Europe are worried. Because many are attached to the EU and see it as the future of their country. In the country village of Gozdowo, two hours north of Warsaw, opinions are mixed. Here, the European flag is displayed everywhere, from the playground to the drinking water station to solar panels. Because without European money, no investment in the village, explains Mayor Darius Galkowski. "We really hope that a compromise will be found and that European funds will be paid, because we have other projects such as sewers, roads and social projects."

READ ALSO

- Towards a Polexit?

Polish justice rules against the supremacy of European law

In this rural municipality of 6,000 inhabitants, more than six out of ten voters voted for the ruling PiS party.

And many do not like Brussels to interfere in Polish affairs.

This is the case of Anthony, a mechanic on a farm.

"Poland wants to stay but under the same conditions as when it entered. Things must not change and the attitude of the European Union worsens. If it does not give us more money, then there yes, we can go, ”he says. 

For Yann, a farmer in the village, things are not so clear cut.

More divided, he votes once for the country, and once for the pro-Europeans.

Because if he holds to traditional values, he wants above all to look ahead.

"The most important is the future. And in my opinion, the future of Poland lies in Europe," he said.

According to opinion polls, eight out of ten Poles now want to stay in the European Union.