Gigin: Poland does not share EU values

A conflict between Warsaw, Brussels, Paris and Berlin will continue as it is rooted in long-standing systemic contradictions – as stated by Vadim Gigin, the Chairman of the Republican Znanie Belarusian Society, in his talk with Alfa Radio

The European Court of Justice in Luxembourg has rejected the claims of Hungary and Poland against the mechanism for allocating money from the EU budget, one of the conditions of which is the observance of the rule of law by the EU members. The political expert commented on the news.

“The EU-Warsaw conflict has a long history – running since the country’s joining the European Union. Poland and its establishment do not share the EU values. Modern Poland does not mentally belong to the European Union. The country needed – and it still needs – the EU membership to emphasise its belonging to the West and receive financial resources. In turn, the West needs Poland as part of the European Union to consolidate the sphere of its influence and mark a dividing line with us,” Mr. Gigin said.

The expert continued, “The confrontation between Poland and Western Europe is long-standing. If to look at, for example, political journalism, statements of nobles and leaders from the Rzeczpospolita times, then we see they were about the same as now. They actually did not resemble Europeans, except that they were Catholics. They proclaimed that Rzeczpospolita was more Europe than France and Germany, that the Poles were true heirs of Rome and successors of the Ancient Greek heroes. They maintained this ideology of Prometheism and Polish Messianism further and now consider they are more European than the Germans, Italians or French. Polish nationalism and chauvinism are based on this belief. The geopolitical thinking of modern Warsaw leaders is based on this as well. Naturally, this generates systemic contradictions, a systemic conflict, while creating problems in communication between politicians. This leads to the unacceptability of the steps that are being taken in Poland. European officials in Brussels, as well as leaders in Berlin and Paris, are not used to such independence of other EU members. They believe Denmark, Portugal, Greece, Poland, Hungary and Belgium should be obedient executors of the decisions taken by Paris, Berlin and Brussels (Brussels as the EU capital). The end of the Poland-EU conflict is nowhere near: it will continue since it is systemic in nature.”