Abstract
This report investigates the Polish governments' positions and major political debate patterns over differentiated integration (DI) in the European Union. It does so by combining a broad range of qualitative and quantitative sources, including official government positions, prime minister speeches, and parliamentary debates. While the salience of DI has always been low or very low, negative tones prevailed in the discussion on the DI as a model for the future of the EU. This relates to an almost universal identification of DI as a two-speed Europe model and its perception as a recipe for the exclusion of some Member States from the mainstream of the integration project. However, positions on specific mechanisms and instances of DI such as the Eurozone depended more on various governments' political preferences. Most importantly, while the softly Eurosceptic Law and Justice in practice rejected adopting the Euro, more pro-European governments presented much more positive views on this issue. However, none of them took steps to join the Eurozone.
Highlights
This report investigates the salience of differentiated integration (DI) in Polish government discourse between 2004 and 2020
It was mostly referred to in parliamentary debates, but rarely in prime minister (PM) speeches or statements made after European Council meetings
The salience of DI models was highest during a few specific debates in the parliament – following the speech by the PM in the parliament on the Polish presidency of the EU Council and on the occasion of the parliament resolution on the 60th anniversary of the Rome Treaty in 2017
Summary
Position In general, Polish politicians in all the main political forces have always emphasised the need for European solidarity and remained opposed to differentiated integration if it would mean excluding any state from decisions concerning the future of the EU. Declaration by the Republic of Poland No 61 on the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, which is an annex to the Treaty of Lisbon, confirms that the Charter does not in any way infringe the right of the Member States to legislate in the field of public morality, family law and the protection of human dignity and respect for the physical and moral integrity of man. According to the authors of the Declaration, it is to ensure that certain legal provisions, including ones indirectly related to the legal recognition of same-sex couples, will not affect the Polish legal system
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