Polish Justice Minister Zbigniew Ziobro said Tuesday he was "astonished" by Brussels' demand for explanations, which he described as nothing less than "an attempt to exert pressure upon the democratically elected" parliament and government of a sovereign state.
Polish Minister for European Affairs Konrad Szymanski said meanwhile it would be "absurd" for the Commission to discuss sanctions Wednesday. "We are at the stage of explaining the changes ... that is what is the focus of our attention, nothing else," Szymanski was quoted as saying by the Rzeczpospolita daily. Relations have nose-dived since the Law and Justice party (PiS), led by Jaroslaw Kaczynski, swept back to power in October after eight years in opposition.
Harsh words from Brussels have been matched by tough rhetoric in Warsaw, with a Polish magazine depicting EU leaders including German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Nazi uniforms. The row erupted in late December when EU Commission Vice President Frans Timmermans sent Warsaw two letters seeking explanations about the party's moves to assert control over Poland's top court and public broadcasters.
The European Commission then announced it would hold Wednesday's "orientation debate", invoking its "Rule of Law mechanism" which gives Brussels the power to discipline member states found to have subverted EU rights standards. If found at fault, a country can be stripped of its EU voting rights - the so-called "nuclear option" - but the procedure has not been used before and officials say they hope it does not come to that.
EU officials insisted that any rule of law procedure could not be launched at Wednesday's debate, but only afterwards, if necessary. "It is the first opportunity for commissioners to debate at political level on the basis of the latest information presented by Timmermans," one European official told AFP, asking not to be named.
"Such a debate could then lead (or not) to a decision to activate for the first time the rule of law framework. But this is not for Wednesday," the official said. The split is the latest in an EU sharply divided by a host of problems ranging from Greece's near eurozone exit to the continent's biggest migration crisis since World War II.
Poland's new government stands in sharp contrast to its predecessor which built an influential position in Brussels, highlighted by the appointment of former centrist Polish premier Donald Tusk to head the European Council of the 28 EU leaders. It has found common cause with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who has likewise fallen foul of the Commission over his changes to the judiciary and press. Brussels has meanwhile tried to play down the issue, even as it pushes on with the debate. "Let's not overdramatise," European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker said last week. "Our approach is very constructive - we are not bashing Poland."