Eurosceptic opposition wants Polish EU referendum

"This is the only way to put a halt to the government’s mistaken decisions,” the head of Law and Justice (PiS) told daily Nasz Dziennik.

Eurosceptic Kaczynski has long been an outspoken critic of the more centralising aspects of the European project.

The EU is discussing a fiscal pact that would see decisions on national fiscal policy set at the European level.

Critics see this as entrenching the power of Paris and Berlin within the EU, at the expense of smaller countries' sovereignty.

Kaczynski's call for a referendum follows his declaration of support last week for the right-wing Fidesz government in Hungary.

The Orban-led government in Budapest has faced EU criticism for changes made this year to its constitution, in particular on the independence of the central bank.

It is also in talks with the EU and IMF over a much need bailout package, the terms of which are clearly linked to the Hungarian government's acquiescence in rescinding some of these changes.

Kaczynski is clearly playing to a similar eurosceptic audience in Poland and internationally.

The PiS chief said he wants the referendum to ask two questions:

1) “Do we want a limiting and a possible handing over of sovereignty to new undemocratic international institutions, which will reserve the right for themselves to set state budgets, and therefore the levels of tax, wages and pensions;”

or

2) “Do we want to maintain the current shape of the EU...including the Cohesion and Structural Funds...which enable Poland to catch up with those states that did not experience Soviet domination?”(jh)