On 15th of October 2019, a roundtable discussion titled ‘Parliamentary Elections in Poland’, took place in the Institute for Foreign Affairs and Trade. Dr. Anna Wisniewski (Senior Research Fellow, IFAT) discussed the results and significance of the Polish parliamentary election with Sándor Ackermann (Analyst, IFAT), Nikolett Garai (Research Fellow, IFAT) and Péter Dobrowiecki (Director, EU–V4 Office, Antall József Knowledge Centre).
In the wake of recent elections in Poland, the ruling Law and Justice Party (PiS) has reinforced its positions after high turnout from the electorate demonstrated robust democratic support for the party. According to Sándor Ackermann, it is more appropriate to interpret the Polish parliamentary election in a broader context, between Autumn 2018 and Spring 2020 four elections are held in Poland (local elections in Autumn 2018, European Parliamentary election in Spring 2019, parliamentary election in Autumn 2019 and presidential election in Spring 2020), which means a very important period politically.
According to Péter Dobrowiecki, the re-election of PiS is a strong message for the criticism against Poland, as PiS received trust from the electors again. The strong result will offer the party a better position to press for Polish interests in the EU. Dobrowiecki emphasized that in the regional politics the Central European cooperation have always been important for Poland. These include the Visegrád Four and the Three Seas Initiative, because with these cooperations Poland can increase its ability to assert its interests in the European Union.
Nikolett Garai stated that the foreign policy of the PiS would not change much in the regional context and she also considered that the most important priorities of the PiS are on one hand to increase Poland’s ability to assert its interests in the EU and on the other hand the EU enlargement. By virtue of its size, economy and overall political significance, Poland is well-positioned to fill the void Great Britain would leave behind. KKI researcher said Poland's primary interest regarding international relations is to solidify its security in a geopolitical and geostrategic sense while at the same time increasing its own political weight.
Péter Dobrowiecki, research fellow of the Antall József Knowledge Centre (AJTK), said Poland is deliberately trying to increase its political role in the Central European region. "With the likely departure of the United Kingdom from the European Union, the role of Poland will be upgraded. This also means that the country will, as a matter of course, try to have a larger slice of the EU's political cake," he said.
Poland has already scored a number of foreign policy successes, putting it in a better position once Brexit actually occurs. Sándor Ackermann, lead researcher of the KKI, said that despite its initial reception, the Polish Three Seas Initiative has by now proven to have been the most important Polish foreign and economic policy step in recent years. The initiative is a forum of 12 EU states based out of Eastern and Central Europe designed to address security, economic and social issues.
"Unlike the international reaction at the time when it was launched, Germany no longer opposes the idea and the United States may also support it," Ackermann said, adding that for it to be of more international significance, the initiative should seek the more active participation of its member states. "While every country has delegated its foreign minister, the initiative has so far largely remained a Polish-Croatian affair, mainly due to the LNG (liquefied natural gas) terminal in [the Croatian port of] Krk," he said.
Regarding the Hungarian–Polish relationship, the participants analysed the two States’ different standpoints on Russia. Although there are differences in their opinions, it has been stated that this issue is not decisive in the Hungarian–Polish relations, thus it does not cause any tension. Finally, they agreed that it would be important for both Hungary and Poland to develop a proactive, positive image of themselves, which they could realize with a joint action in EU enlargement policy.