Verum was napping. Today, when she got done with her homework, she found the Mystical dorm room to be deserted. All her friends were a bit busy today. A yawn burst out of Verum’s mouth. She decided to take a nap.
Verum had just snuggled into her bed when Felix flew into the room at an astonishing speed. He said, “Verum, why are mass protests taking place in Poland?”
“Hmm, protests in Poland… let me see,” said Verum, walking towards her crystal ball, “Let’s start with the European Union (EU). The EU is a political and economic union of 27 European countries. Member nations have sovereignty, which means they can govern themselves independently. However, even while controlling their political and economic affairs, these countries have to follow certain standards and laws set by the EU.”
“Okay, I’m following,” said Felix.
“Me too!” echoed Scorch and Orak.
“Recently, the Constitutional Tribunal, a Polish court, ruled that the EU law isn’t more important than Poland’s law in certain matters. This means the Polish court declared that certain parts of the EU’s primary treaties don’t fit in the Polish law,” replied Verum, “This is one of the biggest challenges to the EU to date. To be a member of the EU, the countries have to follow certain common values and rules.”
“Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki brought forth the legal challenge in March 2021,” added Verum, “Morawiecki recently brought about changes to the country’s judiciary (a system of courts). As per these changes, he appointed some judges. A judge is a public official responsible for deciding cases brought before the court of law.”
“But Morawiecki didn’t want other Polish judges to use the EU law to question the appointment of these new judges,” said Verum, “This is said to be the reason behind the court ruling.”
“Oh, this seems like a serious matter,” said Orak.
“It is. Tensions between the EU and Poland are quite high at the moment,” said Verum, “Do you remember how the United Kingdom (UK) left the EU some time ago? It was called ‘Brexit’. This ruling raised concerns about ‘Polexit’ (Poland + Exit). But Polish people don’t want this. That’s why 100 towns and cities held protests. Morawiecki, however, has denied that the ruling party has plans for a ‘Polexit’.”