Thread by @DaveKeating

Polish PM Mateusz #Morawiecki and EU Commission President Ursula @VonDerLeyen will have a showdown in the European Parliament this morning over the rule of law.

Mateusz insists he's not looking for #Polexit. Other EU leaders say his actions are inevitably leading there.

There's a lot at stake here.

In the short term, Poland could lose €24bn in grants & €12bn in loans in EU pandemic recovery funds.

In the long term, Poland's continued EU membership could become untenable if Warsaw refuses to follow EU law - sparking a political crisis at home

Slovenia's Foreign Minister Anže Logar opens the European Parliament's #RuleOfLaw debate (he's currently chairing EU foreign minister meetings).

"The EU is a union of law, and the primacy of EU law is the foundation of it."

"In EU architecture primacy of EU law is the way to guarantee equality of member states before the treaties, and to ensure that all EU citizens enjoy the same rights," says Slovenia's foreign minsiter. "Without primacy, application of EU law would vary from one member to another"

The primacy of EU law "is, ultimately, the basis for our living together in a common European home," Slovenia's foreign minister says as Polish PM #Morawiecki sits in front of him.

"The presidency is committed to advancing [article 7] proceedings in Council in December"

Commission President @VonDerLeyen speaking now. She starts be evoking the memory of people rising up against the Communist government in Poland in 1981.

"The people if Poland wanted democracy...they wanted independent courts to protect their rights."

"The people of Central and Eastern Europe wanted to join the European family of free people. A strong community of values and democracy," says President @VonDerLeyen.

"The recent ruling of the Polish constitutional court puts much of that into question."

"This ruling calls into question the foundations of the European Union," says President @VonDerLeyen.

"It is a direct challenge to the unity of the European legal order. Only a common legal order provides equal rights, legal certainty, mutual trust & therefor common policies".

"This is the first time ever that the court of a member state finds that the EU treaties are incompatible with the national constitution," says VDL.

"This has serious consequences for the Polish people, because the ruling has a direct impact on the protection of the judiciary."

"Polish people must be able to rely on fair and equal treatment in the judicial system, just like any other EU citizen," says VDL.

"In our union we all enjoy the same rights, and this basic principle fundamentally impacts peoples lives."

"When joining the EU, the Polish people put their trust in the EU" says VDL.

"They expected the EU to defend their rights, & rightly so. The Commission is the guardian of the treaty. It is my Commission's duty to protect the rights of EU citizens wherever they live in our union"

"This is what all 27 member states have signed up to as part of this union, as sovereign countries and free people" says President @VonDerLeyen.

"We cannot and we will not allow our common values to be put at risk. The Commission will act, and the options are all known."

"The Polish constitutional court that cast doubt on the validity of our treaty is the same court that under Article 7 we consider not to be independent and legitimate," says VDL.

"This in many ways comes full circle. I deeply regret that we find ourselves in this situation."

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki responding now at #RuleOfLaw debate in European Parliament.

"I will talk about how diversity and mutual respect are important to all of us," he says.

"EU integration is our choice, this is our destiny," says the Polish prime minister.

"Europe is our place, we do not want to go anywhere else. We want Europe to be strong and courageous. We are not looking at short-term benefits."

"The very foundation of the EU is the principle of democracy. Therefor we will not remain silent when our country is being attacked, also in this room, in an unjust and partial way," the Polish prime minister says, glaring out at the members of the European Parliament.

"I reject the language of threats," says Poland's prime minister. "I will not have EU politicians blackmail Poland."

"We are a proud country, with one of the longest histories of statehood and democracy."

"The EU is a strong political and economic organism - it is the strongest, best-developed international organisation in history," says Poland's prime minister.

"But, the EU is not a state. We have 27 member states in Europe, they remain the masters of treaties."

"There is no doubt that EU law has primacy over national acts of law in those areas that were delegated by the member state," says Poland's prime minister.

"But the court of justice seems to be deriving new competences for the EU."

"Do not spread further lies about #Polexit or Poland leaving the EU," says the prime minister.

"In our national legal system the primacy of EU law does not extend to our constitutional system."

"We will never agree to have instructions or dictats issued to member states. This is not what the EU is about. We have a lot in common, we want more and more in common. But there are differences between us"

"EU will not fall apart only because our legal systems are different"

Polish PM concludes after a very long speech that went *way* over his allocated time.

The EP speaker notes he was flexible in not cutting him off so nobody can say PM didn't have his say in the EP.

"But respect of allocated time is also a way of showing respect for this house"