Why Poland Is Inconvenient for EU’s Left-Liberal Elites

This presentation examines the growing tension between the sovereignty of nation-states and the expanding ideological and institutional pressure exerted by dominant left-liberal circles in Europe. It begins with the question of why Poland—particularly during the conservative governments of 2015–2023—became one of the primary targets of political and economic pressure from the central institutions of the European Union. At the heart of this conflict lies a fundamental clash of visions of the state and the law. On one side stands the model of a sovereign state grounded in its constitution, democratic legitimacy within the nation-state, and the Christian roots of European civilization, committed to protecting the family and the welfare of children. On the other side is the project of an increasingly centralized Europe, in which law is used as a tool to advance a harmful ideological agenda—ranging from radical woke doctrines and coercive net-zero policies to the mass relocation of culturally incompatible migrants—while simultaneously serving as an instrument of political pressure on member states. This tension is particularly visible in disputes concerning family law and the protection of children, where Poland under previous conservative administration —in cooperation with Hungary—resisted attempts to ideologically reshape these areas of European law. The presentation also addresses the growing phenomenon of lawfare in Poland after 2023, namely the use of legal mechanisms and state institutions as instruments of political repression against the conservative opposition. Marcin Romanowski is a Polish lawyer, academic, and Member of the Polish Parliament. He holds a PhD in law from Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń and an LL.M. from the University of Regensburg. He served as Director of the Institute of Justice (2016–2019) and Deputy Minister of Justice (2019–2023), where he worked on justice system reform, cybersecurity, victim support, and family law. **Learn more about IWP graduate programs: https://www.iwp.edu/academics/graduate-degree-programs/ ***Make a gift to the IWP Kosciuszko Chair of Polish Studies: https://wl.donorperfect.net/weblink/WebLink.aspx?name=E231090&id=4