Poland’s newly-appointed Prime Minister Donald Tusk has promised to mend relations with the European Union and said he would ensure his country regains a leadership position in Europe.
Tusk is to face a vote of confidence on Tuesday after Poland’s parliament backed him to become Prime Minister on Monday, with 248 lawmakers voting for him and 201 against.
"I will be indebted to all those who trusted in this new, wonderful Poland, to all those who trusted us... and decided to make this historic change," he told the chamber after the vote, which ends eight years of nationalist rule.
Earlier in the day former Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki of the nationalist Law and Justice party (PiS) lost a vote of confidence. The party came in first in the 15 October election, but lacked the majority or the support to form a government.
Re-embracing Europe
In a speech laying out his government's plans, Tusk, the leader of the Civic Coalition (KO), said he would steer Europe's largest country back to being a leader of the European Union.
However, he also warned he would oppose any changes of EU treaties that would disadvantage Poland.
He promised to "bring back billions of euros" from Brussels, referring to EU funds that had been frozen under the previous government due to a dispute over democratic standards.
While Tusk is seen in Brussels as a staunch pro-EU supporter, officials have said that no funds will be released without judicial reforms.
Challenges to reform
And in a first setback, Poland's Constitutional Tribunal ruled on Monday that judicial reform legislation that Poland needs to pass in order to access the funds is unconstitutional.
It reached the same conclusion about penalties imposed by the EU's top court before it reaches a final ruling, known as interim measures.
Reforms will be complicated by the presence of judges appointed by PiS and by the veto power of President Andrzej Duda, a PiS ally.
(with Reuters)
