EU politicians accused of interfering in Poland's internal affairs
PR dla Zagranicy
Victoria Bieniek
26.09.2018 13:30
Inviting a Ukrainian woman to the European Parliament after Warsaw had her expelled from the Schengen area amid spying claims is tantamount to "interference in Poland's internal affairs," Polish MEP Ryszard Czarnecki has said.
European Parliament. Photo: European Union (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)
Czarnecki's statement came after Ludmila Kozlovska, the Ukrainian head of the Open Dialogue Foundation, a Poland-based NGO, was invited to Brussels by Belgian MEP Guy Verhofstadt, despite her previously being expelled from the Schengen area on Poland's request.
Czarnecki, who hails from Poland's ruling conservative Law and Justice (PiS) party, said: "When one European Union country pranks another by inviting someone who is considered persona non grata, that is not building European solidarity. On the contrary."
He added that Verhofstadt "is an anti-Polish politician and when he has the opportunity to attack Poland, he takes it."
Adam Bielan, a senior Polish conservative politician, said inviting Kozlovska back to the European Union was spiteful towards Poland, while PiS MEP Tomasz Poręba said it was "a very unfriendly gesture".
Poręba added: "We are witnesses of a consistent policy of some members of the European Parliament … of attacking Poland and the Law and Justice government."
Poręba also said that an official from the foreign ministry in Warsaw would discuss the issue with the Belgian ambassador.
Kozlovska was expelled from Schengen in August when her name appeared in the Schengen's border control system after Poland's Internal Security Agency negatively reviewed Kozlovska’s application to reside in the European Union long-term.
The agency also had "serious doubts concerning the financing of the Open Dialogue Foundation."
Some media outlets in Poland have accused Kozlovska of spying for a number of countries.
Verhofstadt told the European Commission that he was concerned that Polish authorities may have used Schengen rules to have Kozlovska deported for political reasons.
Kozlovska has criticised Poland's ruling conservative Law and Justice (PiS) party.
A month after she was expelled, Kozlovska was issued a special visa to travel to Berlin.
While in Belgium she was expected to speak in the European Parliament about the rule of law in Poland. (vb/pk)
Source: IAR, PR24