Polish President Karol Nawrocki has delivered a sharp critique of the European Union, warning that the bloc risks decline unless it changes course, during a New Year’s meeting with the Diplomatic Corps in Warsaw on Thursday, January 15th.
Nawrocki said that if today’s EU were compared to a star, it would “increasingly resemble a dying star.”
He argued that the EU was being “hijacked … by various ideologies and European bureaucrats,” accusing EU institutions of pushing policies that “weaken the Union and lower its citizens’ standard of living.”
The Polish president singled out the EU–Mercosur agreement, the Green Deal, centralising tendencies, and migration policy, saying they were being forced through “despite growing opposition from citizens of Member States.”
He called for Poland to “lead the reformist camp of the European Union,” adding: “Yes, we want European integration, but it must be based on sound principles.”
Nawrocki’s stance closely mirrors that of other Central European leaders, including Hungary’s Viktor Orbán, Slovakia’s Robert Fico, and Czech prime minister Andrej Babiš.
Across the region, a growing bloc of governments is pushing back against what they see as EU overreach, particularly on migration, climate policies seen as harming businesses and farmers, and interference in domestic affairs.
“The European Union must be returned to the citizens,” Nawrocki said, stressing that member states must remain “masters of the Treaties” if the bloc is to tackle challenges such as demographic decline and competitiveness.
