In a huge blow to Brussels, Polish far-right leaders have launched a campaign advocating for Poland’s exit from the European Union.
Spearheaded by former MEP Stanislaw Zoltek, these parties are gaining momentum, stirring controversy and sparking debates across the nation.
Zoltek, a former presidential candidate now running for MEP, minced no words in expressing his stance on the matter.
“We are under the thumb of the European Commission, which is governed by the Germans and the French. They are losing their national sovereignty (to the EU) just like us, but at least under their own leadership,” he said, as quoted by Rzeczpospolita.
Citing rising electricity bills, EU restrictions impacting Polish agriculture’s competitiveness, and the impending push for electric vehicles, Zoltek underscores what he perceives as detrimental consequences of EU membership.
Reports from Rzeczpospolita reveal the emergence of three election committees bearing the term “Polexit” in their names, each echoing the call for Poland’s withdrawal from the EU.
Alongside Żółtek’s PolEXIT Election Committee, Robert Bąkiewicz’s Polexit Independence and Janusz Korwin-Mikke’s Polexit? It’s High Time! have also made their presence felt.
Bąkiewicz, former head of the Independence March Association, known for organising the annual Independence March on Polish Independence Day, champions the cause of Polexit Independence.
Meanwhile, Korwin-Mikke, infamous for his contentious remarks in the EU Parliament, has thrown his weight behind Polexit? It’s High Time!
Korwin-Mikke’s evolution of thought on the subject is notable. Previously sceptical about Poland’s exit from the EU, he now advocates for swift action.
“In the current situation, we should act in a way that will kick us out of the EU as fast as possible,” he said, attributing the growing popularity of the term “Polexit” to the European Green Deal.
As per a survey conducted by the IBRiS Institute for Rzeczpospolita, there’s a discernible shift in public sentiment towards the EU, with a notable decline in EU supporters by 11 percentage points over three years.
