European Parliament to debate state of Poland’s democracy

Law and Justice (PiS) party leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski

The European Parliament is preparing to hold its third debate on the state of democracy in Poland since a populist party won last year and moved quickly to cement its hold on power.

The debate yesterday comes a day after the Polish parliament passed two new laws that are being denounced by civic groups and the political opposition as violations of democratic freedoms.

One law gives state authorities greater power to regulate public gatherings.

The other regulates how the Constitutional Tribunal works and the status of its judges. Its provisions are legally complex, but will give the executive branch greater control over the court and weaken the separation of powers envisioned in Poland’s constitution.

The vote on public gatherings goes next to the president to be signed, while the law on the constitutional court must still be debated in the Senate, which could request some changes.

Since assuming power last November, the Law and Justice party under chairman Jaroslaw Kaczynski has imposed greater control over state media, increased government control over prosecutors and moved to neutralize the constitutional court’s ability to strike down its laws.

Party members argue they have an electoral mandate to remake Poland. The party, which has increased welfare spending, remains relatively popular, with 36 percent support in a recent poll, more than the top two opposition parties combined.

Ahead of the debate, the Greens/European Free Alliance group in the European Parliament issued a statement saying it believes now is the time to trigger the EU’s Article 7 against Poland, which allows the bloc to strip a nation of its voting rights.

Article 7 was envisioned to ensure democratic standards in EU members. But it requires unanimity among all other member states, and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban — who is also accused of violating EU democratic norms — has vowed to block any move against Poland. AP

US to accelerate troop deployment to Baltics

The United States has decided to accelerate the deployment of troops to Poland, the Baltic states and Romania as part of raising the security of the region, Polish and U.S. defense officials said yesterday.

Polish Defense Minister Antoni Macierewicz made the announcement following talks with the commander of U.S. land troops in Europe, Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges, in Zagan, western Poland, where some of the troops will be deployed. It will be an Armored Brigade Combat Team from Fort Carson, Colorado. Another U.S. force, a battalion, will be deployed April 1 to Orzysz, in the northeast.

Hodges said the troops will arrive in the German port of Bremerhaven on Jan. 6 and will be immediately deployed to Poland, the Baltic states and Romania. Their transfer will be timed and treated as a test of “how fast the force can move from port to field,” he said.

“I’m confident in the very powerful signal, the message it will send [that]  the United States, along with the rest of NATO, is committed to deterrence,” Hodges said.

He said the armored brigade has already moved out of its Colorado base and is loading on ships.

“I’m excited about what my country is doing and I’m excited about continuing to work with our ally, Poland,” Hodges said.

Poland and the Baltic nations of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia have been uneasy about increased Russian military operations in the region, especially after its 2014 annexation of Crimea from Ukraine, and have requested U.S. and NATO troops’ presence on their territory as a deterrent. AP