“Poles need to unite behind and protect parliamentary democracy, as the best model, as the country faces bitter constitutional battles over the rule of law and the judiciary,” Roberta Metsola, President of the European Parliament, told the Polish parliament.
The European Parliament president appealed to the Sejm in Warsaw to put democracy first, in what was seen as an implicit criticism of the Polish conservative nationalist opposition.
The tribunal has long been a point of friction between Warsaw and Brussels as the court became dominated by judges appointed by contested political procedures under the former conservative government before Tusk retook power in 2023.
During her two-day visit in Warsaw, Metsola met separately with both Tusk and Nawrocki.
While the European Commission has come out supporting the Tusk government, Metsola struck a more conciliatory tone in the Sejm.
“I am not here to lecture or to preach. I am here for us to roll up our sleeves and work together,” she said.
Metsola received applause from the left side of the chamber — home to Tusk’s coalition. Meanwhile, opposition MPs held up a banner reading “TUSK = DICTATOR.”
