Kaczyński, who leads Poland's right-wing opposition Law and Justice (PiS) party, on Wednesday called for changes to the EU and listed several possible approaches, including influencing public opinion and drafting a new treaty with a delayed entry into force.
Speaking at the Krynica Forum 2026 conference in southern Poland, Kaczyński said countries seeking changes could begin negotiations on leaving the EU if other methods failed, media outlets reported.
He described this as a "hard and risky" approach that would require "determination and agreement" between countries.
"It all starts with negotiations, and we should simply begin those negotiations. A tough method, a risky one, but things are really so bad, so very bad, that it is worth using this method too if the others fail to produce results," Kaczyński said.
'Poland's place is in EU': ex-PM
Former PiS Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, who now leads the Development Plus political group, on Thursday supported Poland's membership of the EU, although he said the bloc needed reform.
"The EU needs reform, and that reform must happen much faster. What is happening today is far from sufficient, but we are not a political group that calls for a Polexit. On the contrary, Poland's place is in the European Union," Morawiecki said at a press conference in Warszawice near Warsaw.
Lower-house Speaker Włodzimierz Czarzasty said Kaczyński was making the idea of Poland leaving the EU "seem more acceptable."
He also accused President Karol Nawrocki of making pro-Russian anti-EU politician Grzegorz Braun seem more acceptable in Polish politics.
"They are heading East. We are staying," Czarzasty wrote on X on Thursday.
Government spokesman Adam Szłapka accused Kaczyński of "pursuing Braun’s agenda," while the minister in charge of the security services, Tomasz Siemoniak, said Kaczyński's remarks ran counter to Poland's interests and security.
PiS deputy leader Przemysław Czarnek said the party was not planning to "take Poland out of the EU," although he said it considered all possible scenarios, including the possibility that the EU could "destroy itself."
(sp/gs)
Source: PAP