Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki is likely to be elected president of the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) party, Politico reports.
He takes the baton from Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who supported Morawiecki. However, Meloni and Morawiecki have completely opposite approaches to the European Union.
As prime minister, Meloni became close to the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen. Meanwhile, Morawiecki expressed hostility towards the EU.
As party chairman, he will be responsible for promoting policy co-ordination between ECR heads of government and EU national parties. Fernand Kartheiser, a Luxembourgish member of the European Parliament and member of the party’s board of directors, said Morawiecki would “be able to uphold the essence” of the ECR.
This gives ECR its diversity and flexibility.
Morawiecki’s election coincides with the start of Poland’s presidency in the European Council. With the move, the ECR hopes to reinforce the Law and Justice party in Brussels, giving it a chance to compete with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s Civic Coalition ahead of the presidential election in May.
