Former prime minister and former head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Włodzimierz Cimoszewicz said in “Fakty po Faktach” that foreign policy is the competence of the government, and the president “of course has the right to be interested in foreign policy” and can express his opinions publicly, but “with the assumption of loyal cooperation with the government “. “It shouldn't be confrontational,” he said.
The guest of “Fakty po Faktach” was Włodzimierz Cimoszewicz – former prime minister, former head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and former minister of justice, and now the candidate of the Left for the European Parliament. He said that the government has competences in the field of Poland's foreign policy, and the president speaks on foreign policy issues without consulting the Council of Ministers, which, in his opinion, is a “violation of the principles” of cooperation.
– The Constitution mentions harmonious cooperation between the president and the government, but in this case the main competence is clearly assigned to the Council of Ministers. The president, of course, has the right to be interested in foreign policy, how the country is represented, and so on. He has the right to talk to the Prime Minister and the Minister of Foreign Affairs about these issues, and during these talks he has the right to express his opinion, said Cimoszewicz.
– He can even do it publicly (express his opinion – editor), but with the assumption of loyal cooperation with the government. This should not be confrontational, says the former prime minister.
Among the important issues on which the president spoke without consulting the government, Cimoszewicz mentioned the demand for increased defense spending by members of the FOR THISthe announcement of Nuclear Sharing and the nomination of its candidate for Commissioner of the European Commission.
– All this was not consulted with the government, so in my opinion it is a violation of the principle that the president should follow – says the guest of “Fakty po Faktach”.
05 1925 fpf cl-0033
Read also: Paprocka: the regulations clearly state who chooses the Polish candidate for EU commissioner
Asked about a likely dispute between the president and the government on the issue choice Polish candidate for commissioner in the European Union said that “it will most likely look like this: the president can publicly say who he thinks should be the commissioner.” He clarified that the president himself does not have the competence to nominate a candidate.
– In Brussels, they know the Polish constitution and who has the right to nominate a candidate for commissioner on behalf of Poland. And there will probably be a name proposed by the government, he added.
“The time has come for Poland to fight for an extremely important position”
He admitted that “it is difficult to predict” whether this will be the case Radosław Sikorski, because the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is “mentioned in the context of creating a new position of commissioner responsible for defense.” – I believe that the time has come after 20 years of our presence in the EU, in a period of significant growth in Poland's position and in connection with war in Ukrainefor Poland to fight for a position that is exceptionally important in these circumstances, he added.
He explained that the government would be able to appoint a candidate, and in his opinion Radosław Sikorski was suitable for this position. – There will probably be protests from the president – said Cimoszewicz. However, he added that “the government should do its job.”