The upcoming European elections not only failed to capture the attention of Polish voters but also did not produce clear perspectives on the future of the European Union among Poland's leading parties. The vote next Sunday will be just another domestic election poll.
With only a third of the voters declaring any interest in the second European elections since Poland joined the European Union (and much less likely to vote), the country is failing not only to convey Europe to its electorate but also in producing its own vision for the united continent.
While the vast majority of Poles are happy about the EU-membership in general and the country's economy clearly gained from the accession five years ago, the anti-European and Euro-sceptic views are still prevalent in this campaign.
The lack of any education about the European Union before Poland's accession in a country that was deprived the chance to assist the EU at the cradle, creates a fertile ground for a mix of populism, demagogy and bombastic slogans which still dominates the European debate in Poland.
Even the leading parties do not bother to discuss Europe's main problems, because they feel - and rightly so - that their voters don't bother too. The younger, better-educated electorate, is still too small in numbers to prevail and demand a serious approach. Older voters happily accept the view that Europe is governed from behind a curtain by murky powers of the continent's largest countries, which once betrayed Poland and may do that again.
Except for a few former MEP's either responsible for their personal profiles or loyal to their parties, the candidates shunned away from debating European issues in favor of domestic politics. It is striking that there are 78 Polish MPs standing for election to the European Parliament. This inevitably leaves little room for debating Europe.
Leading in the polls, the center-right Civic Platform, speaks loudly about being part of the largest European coalition, the EPP, but offers little in the way of concrete policies. The party picked well-known faces as candidates, but some of them - like Poland's current EU commissioner Danuta Huebner - do not conceal that they only want to lure voters and not really become MEPs. But generally, the Civic Platform presents itself as a full-fledged European force, in favor of the Lisbon Treaty, ready to bring value to European policy and open for international cooperation.
The main opposition, the Kaczynski brothers' Law and Justice party, decided to relocate a large fraction of its parliamentary caucus to Strasburg and Brussels. The conquest of Europe is up to those who fought fiercest battles in defense of the former government's policies. The party relies on their anti-German approach by quoting the CDU/CSU declaration on resettlers as a hostile move that jeopardizes peace in Europe and threatens Poland's western border.
But the strangest phenomenon to emerge is in the Polish wing of the Libertas, best known of its anti-Lisbon Treaty stance. The Irish millionaire Declan Ganley, who visits Poland every fortnight, befriended the former president and Solidarity leader Lech Walesa. Poland's only living legend shocked the public by showing up at a few Libertas-sponsored conferences in Europe. Walesa claimed that Ganley was partly right in his views on Europe but declared that he would try to persuade the Irish to accept the Lisbon Treaty. On home ground Walesa remains loyal to PM Donald Tusk and his Civic Platform, but this did not spare him a huge wave of criticism.
According to the recent polls, the composition of the 50-strong Polish delegation to the European Parliament will closely reflect the current Sejm with only four parties sharing the mandates. The Civic Platform and their ally, the Peasants Party may claim more than a half of the Polish seats. Both will join the EPP-ED and may become members of the largest faction.
Law and Justice, with 25 per cent support, will join the British and the Czechs in a right-wing grouping of little significance. The Left Alliance stays with the European Socialists who may rival the EPP for the top posts. Unlike the Civic Platform, they don't have a candidate for the President of the European Parliament, but they may vote for Jerzy Buzek if he stands for the job. Buzek himself - a clear superstar among the polish MEPs - avoids stronger policy statements, maybe realistically judging that his fate will be decided above his head.
The European elections did not spark a real debate in Poland. And yet they'll become the most important poll in a year that precedes the battle for the country's presidency and local elections in 2010.
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