Attempts to censure Poland’s new ultra-conservative government were in disarray on Monday after senior EU figures ended up in open disagreement over how to respond.<\/p>\n
Donald Tusk, the president of the European Council, publicly criticised the European Commission\u2019s decision to launch an investigation into the country.<\/p>\n
Mr Tusk said he was \u201cnot very enthusiastic\u201d about the move by Jean-Claude Juncker\u2019s office to place the country under review.<\/p>\n
In an unprecendented move, the European Commission has launched an investigation into whether new media laws and reforms of the constitutional court by the Right-wing Law and Justice government are a threat to democracy. The process could ultimately result in Poland\u2019s voting rights being suspended.<\/p>\n
“I can imagine this goal could be achieved by other methods, not necessarily triggering this procedure,\u201d said Mr Tusk, a former Polish prime minister. He insisted he would not allow the issue to be debated in the European Council \u2013 effectively blocking the \u2018nuclear option\u2019 of suspending voting rights.<\/p>\n
The move has resulted in a vitriolic and nationalistic row, including Polish newspapers depicting EU leaders as Nazi officers meddling in Poland\u2019s internal affairs.<\/p>\n
Meeting in Brussels, Mr Tusk told Andrezj Duda, the Polish president, to put an end to a \u201chysterical\u201d reaction, show \u201crestraint\u201d and warned the affair had \u201cshaken\u201d Poland\u2019s hard-earned reputation.<\/p>\n
Appealing for calm, he also warned Poles to abandon any \u201cconspiracy theories\u201d about Brussels\u2019 plans for Poland, saying that some 3,000 Polish \u201cpatriots\u201d are employed in the EU institutions.<\/p>\n
Mr Tusk is a veteran of the Solidarity movement that broke Soviet control from Poland, and, using analogies from the Star Wars films, he urged Poland not to throw away the reforms made in 25 years.<\/p>\n
“The Western democracy model contains some limitations to the executive power,” he said. \u201cWe need to protect this historical event which was us joining the bright side.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr Duda said the reforms \u2013 which include the right to fire public media bosses and the appointment of new judges \u2013 are \u201cnothing exceptional\u201d and simply the product of a change of government.
\nHowever, the opened a new rift with Brussels on migration \u2013 saying refugees should be allowed to go wherever they like.<\/p>\n
Migrants fleeing Syria should “have the choice of country of destination and enjoy the freedom of movement”, Mr Duda said.<\/p>\n
That flies in the face of the EU’s plan to redistribute migrants around the bloc by mandatory quotas, which Mr Juncker wants to make permanent.<\/p>\n
On Friday, Mr Juncker blamed the refugees for \u201crather arrogantly\u201d thinking they can choose where to go on arriving in Europe, with most determined to reach Germany and highly resistant to being sent to the poor east.<\/p>\n