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A8 world news
Monday 7 august 2017

Open conflict triggers concern Poland might leave EU next

By VANESSA GERA and is going to be a lead-
Associated Press ing partner to other mem-
WARSAW, Poland (AP) ber states within the struc-
— Since British voters en- ture,” Bochenek told The
dorsed leaving the Euro- Associated Press on Friday.
pean Union, politicians and “We have got many am-
pundits have ruminated bitious projects and chal-
on which of the bloc’s re- lenges to realize in the EU.
maining 27 nations could We will cooperate with our
be next. “Grexit” and European partners.”
“Frexit,” for Greece and Law and Justice has never
France, were two sub- publicly advocated leav-
jects of speculation. Now, ing the bloc, but criticizes
months of open conflict what it views as unneces-
between Poland’s conser- sary EU bureaucracy and
vative nationalist govern- infringements on the au-
ment and the rest of the thority of member coun-
EU has some Poles wonder- tries to make their own
ing if their leaders are put- decisions. In that vein,
ting the country on a path Poland’s government ag-
that could take it out of the gressively pushed through
union. legislation to put the court
“There is a question mark system under the ruling
over Poland’s European party’s control. The EU’s
future today,” European President of the European Council Donald Tusk speaks to the media outside the prosecutor’s executive arm has said the
Council President Donald office in Warsaw, Poland, Thursday, Aug. 3, 2017. Months of conflict between Poland’s government moves violate democratic
Tusk, a former Polish prime and the rest of the EU has some Poles wondering if their leaders are putting the country on a path norms by reducing judicial
minister who is a critic of that could take it out of the union. independence.
the ruling Law and Justice (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski) With Warsaw refusing to
party, said Thursday. proval stemming from the tually lead to a parting government has ordered in give in to the bloc’s calls for
The EU is widely popular in economic boom and free- of ways. They point to the a primeval forest that has it to respect the separation
Poland, so the idea of the dom of travel that came defiant stance Law and been classified as a UNES- of powers, the European
country abandoning the with membership in 2004. Justice and its leader, Jaro- CO world heritage site. Commission is threaten-
bloc strikes many people But members of the opposi- slaw Kaczynski, adopted Government spokesman ing steps that could lead
here as farfetched. Several tion in Poland increasingly when the EU raised con- Rafal Bochenek insisted to Poland losing its EU vot-
surveys have shown public are voicing fears that the cerns about changes to that Polish leaders intend ing rights. The government
support for the EU stand- conflicts between Warsaw Poland’s justice system and to keep Poland in the bloc. also has continued logging
ing at over 70 percent, ap- and Brussels could even- the extensive logging the “Poland is a member of EU in the Bialowieza Forest
even though the European
Court of Justice in Luxem-
Irish PM: bourg ordered it last week

‘Matter of time’ for North Ireland and gay marriage to stop felling trees imme-
diately.
If it continues, Poland could
be hit with massive fines.
LONDON (AP) — Ireland’s kar, Ireland’s first openly 2015 voter referendum le- The Democratic Union- Katarzyna Lubnauer, a
prime minister says it is “only gay leader, made the galized them in the repub- ists, Northern Ireland’s big- lawmaker with the opposi-
a matter of time” before comments at a gay pride lic of Ireland. gest British Protestant party tion Modern party, said re-
same-sex marriage is legal- event on Saturday in Bel- The issue has been one of and a key partner to Brit- cently that because Poles
ized in Northern Ireland — fast. the sticking points prevent- ish Prime Minister Theresa are such “Euro-enthusi-
the only part of the United Northern Ireland remains ing the restoration of the May’s government, has op- asts,” nobody in the rul-
Kingdom where it still is the only part of the British Catholic-Protestant pow- posed same-sex marriage. ing Law and Justice party
banned. Isles where same-sex mar- er-sharing government in The Catholic nationalist would admit that leaving
Prime Minister Leo Varad- riages are not allowed. A Northern Ireland. Sinn Fein supports it.q the bloc is their aim.q