Skip to main content
By

Poland fury over 'attack' by EU's Tusk

The Polish government has accused EU Council President Donald Tusk of "attacking Poland" after he voiced alarm at the government's policies.
"Today, by using his position to attack the Polish government, he is attacking Poland," Prime Minister Beata Szydlo tweeted. Her nationalist government has been in power for two years.
Earlier Mr Tusk, a former Polish prime minister, linked her government to a "Kremlin plan", without elaborating.
The two leaders have long been rivals.
Ms Szydlo's Law and Justice Party (PiS) is in dispute with the European Commission on several fronts: its refusal to accept refugees under an EU relocation scheme; its encouragement of logging in an ancient forest; and its refashioning of Poland's media and judiciary. The commission accuses PiS of jeopardising EU rule of law values.
In a tweet in Polish on Sunday, Mr Tusk. a centre-right liberal, said: "Alarm! Severe dispute with Ukraine, isolation within the European Union, departure from the rule of law and judicial independence, attack on the nongovernmental sector and free media. Is this a Law and Justice strategy or a Kremlin plan? Too similar to sleep peacefully."
Mr Tusk's reference to the Kremlin appeared to link PiS to alleged Russian interference in EU countries and Ukraine.
logging in Bialowieza forestImage copyrightAFP/ GETTY IMAGES
Image captionLogging in the protected Bialowieza forest is among the disputes between Poland and Brussels

Poland-Ukraine tensions

Poland has been one of the most vocal critics of Russia since Moscow annexed Ukraine's Crimea peninsula in 2014 and backed pro-Russian separatist rebels in eastern Ukraine.
In recent years Poland has backed Ukraine's drive for closer ties with the EU, but much bitterness remains in Polish-Ukrainian relations.
A row erupted on Saturday when Polish border guards refused to allow in the head of Ukraine's commemoration commission, Svyatoslav Sheremet.
Poland's state-owned news agency PAP said the move was in response to a Ukrainian ban on the exhumation of Poles killed in Ukraine during World War Two.
Poland's Foreign Minister Witold Waszczykowski also reacted angrily to Mr Tusk's tweet, calling it "a desperate scream of frustration".
Mr Tusk "has been unable to carve out an active role in European politics for himself, so he is trying to plunge back into Polish politics", he said.
In March Ms Szydlo tried and failed to block the European Council's reappointment of Mr Tusk as council president, at an EU summit. She was the only leader to oppose Mr Tusk among the 28 member states.
There is speculation that Mr Tusk is preparing for a presidential bid in Poland once he completes his tenure in Brussels.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Zimbabwe latest: Defiant Mugabe makes first public appearance

By
Zimbabwe latest: Defiant Mugabe makes first public appearance Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe has made his first public appearance since the country's army took over on Wednesday. He attended a graduation ceremony in the capital, Harare. Mr Mugabe had been under house arrest for days. The army made its move after a power struggle over his successor. The military said on Friday it was "engaging" with Mr Mugabe and would advise the public on the outcome of talks "as soon as possible". Meanwhile Christopher Mutsvangwa, the leader of the influential war veterans' association, said Mr Mugabe should step down at once. He called for a huge turnout in street protests on Saturday. Live updates from Zimbabwe Five things you should know "We want to restore our pride and tomorrow is the day... we can finish the job which the army started, Mr Mutsvangwa said. "There's no going back about Mugabe. He must leave." Mr Mugab...
Post a Comment
Read more
By
Making Girl-child Education a Priority in Africa For 25 years, the Forum of African Women Educationists, a pan-African non-governmental organisation founded in 1992, has been promoting girls and women’s education in sub-Saharan Africa in line with the Education For All. Its Chairperson and first female Vice-Chancellor, University of Cape Coast, Ghana, Professor Nana Opoku-Agyemang explained to Funmi Ogundare its impacts so far, among other issues Gender discrimination is one of the primary impediments to education which affects boys and girls. However, in many parts of the world, girls are most often the victims as they pursue an education. For instance, for many African girls, five years of schooling is the most education they can expect and they are the lucky ones. Across the sub-Saharan region, almost 33 million girls roughly between the ages of six and 15 are not in school. 56 per cent of them may never have set foot in a classroom compared to 41 per cent of out-of-school...
Post a Comment
Read more
By
CHAI, Lagos Warn against Female Genital Mutilation The Child Health Advocacy Initiative (CHAI) and the Lagos State Government have warned against female genital mutilation, saying it is unhealthy and violates the rights of women. Stating this in a press briefing on FGM in Lagos, the Executive Director, CHAI, Mrs. Lola Alonge, said FGM violates all human rights principles, including equality, non discrimination of sex and the right to health. She said FGM causes lifelong physical and psychological harm, as it affects the family, community, relationships and economic development. “Trained health workers who perform FGM are violating girls and women’s right to life and health. “We therefore call for the domestication of the Violence Against Persons Prohibition Act (VAPP). On May 2015, President Goodluck Jonathan signed the VAPP into law. This law bans FGM and other traditional harmful practices. But the VAPP only applies at the Federal Capital Territory. It is now up to each s...
Post a Comment
Read more