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The Warsaw Voice » Politics » January 11, 2016

Poland summons German ambassador over politicians’ 'anti-Polish’ remarks

January 11, 2016

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Poles protest new medial law in Warsaw

Poland's foreign ministry has summoned the German ambassador over what it calls "anti-Polish" comments made recently by German politicians who have sharply criticized the new Polish government's policies.

Germany's ambassador to Warsaw Rolf Nikel is set to meet with Poland’s Foreign Minister Witold Waszczykowski on Monday.

The German president of the European Parliament Martin Schulz on Sunday compared politics of the ruling Law and Justice (PiS) to those of Russian President Vladimir Putin. “It’s a dangerous Putinization of European politics," he told the German paper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.

Another prominent member of Germany's Social Democratic Party, Volker Kauder, recently spoke in favor of sanctions against Poland if the country continues to, he said, ignore the principles of the rule of law.

Earlier this month, EU Commissioner Guenther Oettinger said there were grounds for putting Poland under the EU's rule of law supervision.

Poland's justice minister Zbigniew Ziobro wrote an open letter to Oettinger in which he said:
“I am not in the habit of replying to silly comments on Poland made by foreign politicians. Such words, said by a German politician, cause the worst of connotations among Poles. Also in me. I'm a grandson of a Polish officer, who during World War II fought in the underground National Army with 'German supervision'," he said.

Also, Polish Defense Minister Antoni Macierewicz, on television on Sunday criticized Germany for trying to "instruct others about democracy and freedom."

The comments made by German politicians were in reaction to new legislation that PiS adopted seeking to strengthen government control over the constitutional court, the civil service and state-run media.

Tens of thousands of Poles Saturday took to the streets in at least 20 cities to protest against the new media law which came into effect on Friday. It ended terms of management boards of public TV and radio, opening the way for ruling party Law and Justice (PiS) to appoint its own managements without any competition, just by appointment of the Treasury Minister.

PiS won elections in October with a majority becoming the first party to be able to govern alone since democracy was restored to Poland in 1989.