PM seeks to thaw German ties

WARSAW: Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki will visit Berlin on Friday in a bid to thaw frosty ties after the relationship between the two neighbours was dented over Warsaw’s judicial reforms and a controversial Holocaust bill.

“I’d like this visit to boost both our economic and political cooperation,” Mr Morawiecki told the Polish news agency PAP this week, ahead of talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Mr Morawiecki said the economy was “thriving, with Poland one of Germany’s most important partners”, but more delicate matters are likely to be discussed when the two leaders meet.

Germany and Poland have clashed on a range of issues since the nationalist Law and Justice party came to power, including its attempts to reform the judiciary, a refusal to welcome refugees and a recent bill that would punish anyone ascribing any Polish responsibility for the Holocaust.

In her weekly podcast on Saturday, Ms Merkel said she considers Polish-German ties to be stable despite “divergent views on some issues”.

Mr Morawiecki, who since his appointment in December has strived to improve Poland’s image abroad, has called criticism against his country the result of “misunderstandings”, potentially implying he has no plans to compromise.

Warsaw has come under fire from Brussels and several European countries for introducing controversial judicial reforms that according to the EU could call into question the independence of the judiciary.

On Dec 20, after months of warnings, the European Commission launched an unprecedented procedure against Poland that could strip Warsaw of its voting rights in the bloc if it does not scrap the reforms.

Ms Merkel noted on Saturday that all EU member states had pledged to “respect the principles of the state of law”.

The topic of migrants and asylum seekers may also prove difficult for the two leaders, as the Polish government warned last month that it would not budge on its refusal to take in an EU quota of refugees.

Sensitive questions of history could also show up on the agenda, including the Holocaust bill that Poland adopted this month, which penalises statements attributing Nazi German crimes to the Polish state with a jail sentence of up to three years.

Ms Merkel indirectly backed Poland by saying “as Germans we are responsible for what happened [during the Holocaust]”.