Foreign Affairs Minister Radek Sikorski, has appealed to the opposition Law and Justice to return to the European People’s Party in the European Parliament. 

“Law and Justice should come back to the European People’s Party to re-enforce the position of our country inside the EU,” Sikorski said.  

Before the election, Law and Justice (PiS) announced that the party will form a separate faction in the EP together with the British Tories and conservatives from the Czech Republic. The main bone of contention with the EPP is their enthusiastic appraisal of the Lisbon Treaty, and acceptance that national parliaments ratify it instead of via a referendum.  

Civic Platform, Poland’s senior coalition partner, claims that it will deprive Poland of political influence.  

“Jaroslaw Kaczynski justified his exit from the European People’s Party saying that, allegedly, it is dominated by the [German] CDU. Today, we have a moment of truth. If Law and Justice return to the EPP, then the biggest national group in it would be the Polish group formed by Civic Platform, Polish Peasant’s Party and Law and Justice,” Sikorski said.

After yesterday’s election, Poland will have 28 representatives in the EPP, from Civic Platform and it’s junior coalition partner Polish Peasant’s Party. Together with Law and Justice the number will add up to 44 seats, compared to 34 seats won by Germany’s Christian Democratic CDU/CSU coalition.  

So far, Jaroslaw Kaczynski has not commented on Sikorski’s appeal. However, he has declared that he will do his best to convince his Czech and British allies in the new EP faction to support Jerzy Buzek for the seat of the EP president. Buzek, former Polish PM, is one of the candidate’s for European Parliament president’s post considered by the EPP. (jg/pg)