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Poland’s Junior Coalition Partner Stays in Cabinet After EU Row

Poland’s Junior Coalition Partner Stays in Cabinet After EU Row

A junior party in Poland’s ruling coalition dropped its threat to pull out of the government over the country’s support for strengthened European Union oversight of adherence to the bloc’s democratic values.

The hard-line Solidarity Poland maintains its position that the EU budget deal that included the additional oversight is a “fundamental mistake” that will curb the sovereignty of member states, party leader and Justice Minister Zbigniew Ziobro said at press conference in Warsaw late Saturday. The party wanted to avoid early elections and opted to stay in power to have a chance to limit further EU “interference,” he said.

Solidarity Poland had earlier called on the government to veto the EU’s $2.2 trillion spending package adopted this week. The plan includes criteria linking access to the funds to rule-of-law conditions that were primarily aimed at the governments of Poland and Hungary. Both countries face EU probes for democratic backsliding.

Polish Premier Mateusz Morawiecki on Thursday dropped Poland’s opposition after some amendments were made at a summit of European leaders.

Ziobro’s 19 lawmakers should allow ruling Law & Justice cabinet to maintain a stable majority for the rest of the parliamentary term, which is due to end in late 2023. Ziobro said his party will vote against approving the EU stimulus deal in country’s parliament.

©2020 Bloomberg L.P.