In response to the Polish government’s many questionable actions in recent years, the Minister-President of the Wallonia-Brussels Federation, Pierre-Yves Jeholet, and the Minister-President of Wallonia, Elio Di Rupo, have taken the decision to close the Wallonia-Brussels General Delegation in Warsaw indefinitely.
The rule of law has been threatened in Poland by a series of decisions taken by the current government in recent years. Attacks on the independence of the judiciary, discrimination against the LGBTI community, as well as increasingly frequent attacks on press freedom are all examples of the Polish government’s measures that are threatening European values and contravene the principle of the rule of law.
Taking these factors into account, the Minister-President of the Wallonia-Brussels Federation and the Minister-President of Wallonia have made the decision to close the Wallonia-Brussels General Delegation in Warsaw, the official political mission representing Wallonia-Brussels in Poland.
For both Minister-Presidents: “The authoritarian actions of the current government have been impinging on the rule of law for several years. Attacking the independence of the judiciary and the separation of powers is jeopardising democracy and the European construct, and we cannot accept it. The closure of our official political mission is a strong political signal that we want to send to the Polish authorities, but there is no question, in a country where the rule of law is flouted, of abandoning those on the ground in Poland who share our values (academics and cultural, societal, and economic stakeholders), therefore a presence without a head diplomat will still be maintained.”