Government spokesman Adam Szłapka told state news agency PAP on Monday that Tusk’s remarks in an interview with The Sunday Times were a response to debates over security in the United Kingdom, not a preview of Polish government action.
In the interview, published online on Saturday, Tusk was asked about migration to Europe, which he called a serious threat. He highlighted increasingly difficult ethnic and cultural relations within societies and said a rigid and expanding interpretation of the ECHR was a significant part of the problem.
The Sunday Times wrote that Poland, along with Denmark and Italy, is openly pressing the Strasbourg court on these issues. It added that Tusk viewed favorably a more radical idea advanced by Reform UK and Britain’s Conservatives: if the 46 signatories cannot agree on changes to the convention, it would be “quite reasonable” to consider leaving it.
Tusk’s comments drew widespread reaction, including criticism from some non-governmental organizations.
Pressed about the interview, Szłapka reiterated that Poland “did not have” and “does not have” any plan to denounce the ECHR. He stressed that Tusk’s comments were tied to the UK security discussion rather than a statement of policy.
In the same interview, Tusk said his role in Europe was to encourage prime ministers and presidents “to do more than conventions allow.” He acknowledged this may sound unusual coming from a veteran of struggles for human rights, but added that politics must respect reality and not only dreams.
(jh)
Source: PAP