The second circular of presidential elections in Poland attracted not only the attention of native media and voters, but besides politicians from overseas. On May 27, a group of Republican congressmen from the U.S. home of Representatives, chaired by Brian Mast, sent an authoritative letter to the president of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen.
The speech of this letter is firm and its message is clear: the government of Donald Tusk and the European Commission themselves are accused of tolerating actions that may violate the principles of democracy in Poland.
In the introduction:
“We are profoundly afraid about reports from Poland that may undermine the integrity of its democratic processes, especially in the face of the upcoming second circular of presidential elections scheduled for 1 June 2025.”
According to the authors of the letter, the problem is not only the alleged violation of electoral law, but besides the passiveness of the EU institutions, which had previously been very active in responding to the actions of the erstwhile PiS government. However, in spite of the "obvious evidence of violations of the regulation of law by the Tusk Government", the Commission remains "surprisingly silent".
The authors of the letter indicate that:
"Reports of political advertisements financed from abroad sources promoting Rafał Trzaskowski – candidate of the Civic Coalition supported by Prime Minister Donald Tusk – which could be published against Polish law, combined with information on the multi-month opposition of the Tusk Government before the payment of public funds due to the opposition organization PiS, propose deliberate distortion of the rules of election game."
The letter describes a circumstantial mechanics which, according to the congressmen, was to support the Trzask run against Polish law. It is simply a Polish non-governmental organization that received funds from the George Soros Foundation – Open Society Foundations. This NGO was to commission the creation and issue of political advertisements in social media, promoting Trzaskowski and attacking his rivals, Karol Nawrocki and Sławomir Mentzen.
"On May 15, leading Polish media reported that 1 of the NGOs, financed by funds supported by George Soros, prepared an advertising run in social media promoting Trzaskowski and slandering his opponents."
Another entity indicated in the letter is Estratos Digital GmbH – a company based in Vienna, controlled by Higher Ground Labs, a fund run by individuals associated with the US Democratic organization and erstwhile campaigns by Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and Kamali Harris.
"Estratos Digital GmbH – a company from Vienna, owned by Higher Ground Labs, an American fund run by Obama, Clinton and Harris run managers – was liable for about PLN 420,000 ($105,000) spent on allegedly ‘illegal political ads’ posted on Facebook since April 10, 2025, supporting Trzaskowski."
The letter's authors besides recalled that Estratos participated in the opposition run against Viktor Orbán in Hungary in 2022. At the time, the company was to hide sources of funding, which besides raised suspicions. Congressmen do not spare in assessments – for them this is evidence of a "serious violation of electoral neutrality".
The letter then focuses on blocking public funds for PiS. Although the ultimate Court ordered their payment, as did the State Election Commission and the Ombudsman, the Government of Tusk was to refuse to execute these judgments for many months.
"It is equally worrying to hear reports that the Tusk Government has for many months refused to pay tens of millions of dollars from public run funds which legally belong to the PiS Party, which violates the ultimate Court ruling, the decision of the State Election Commission and the opinion of the Ombudsman Marcin Więck."
This allegation is highly crucial due to the fact that it concerns not only equal opportunities in elections, but besides a direct violation of the regulation of law. According to the authors of the letter, the European Commission should respond immediately in specified cases.
A comparison appears in the letter: the Commission's previous, decisive action towards the Law and Justice Government, which was accused of violating the regulation of law, has been combined with silence towards the Government of Tusk. Republicans accuse the Commission of applying political double standards.
"The European Union, as guarantor of democratic standards and human rights, has a work to guarantee that associate States respect the principles of the regulation of law. Although the European Commission was very active in criticising the PiS government and halted over $150 billion in funds for alleged violations, it is now amazingly passive."
The allegation besides concerns the payment of EU funds to the Tusk Government. In February 2024, the Commission agreed to unlock EUR 6.3 billion, even though no of the alleged "milestones" required from the Law and Justice Offices, as the authors of the letter say, were met.
“In February 2024, after the Tusk government against the law dismissed and appointed a fresh National Prosecutor without the approval of president Duda, the European Commission, led by you, paid EUR 6.3 billion, even though the government did not fulfil any of the conditions previously requested from the Law and Justice Office.”
According to congressmen, specified a selective way of applying the rules by the European Commission "refusals its credibility as a guardian of democracy".
In the final part of the letter, the authors present 5 detailed questions to Ursula von der Leyen. These include:
- Sources of backing for advertising promoting Trzaskovsky.
- Roli Estratos Digital GmbH and Higher Ground Labs.
- Failure by the Commission to refuse to pay the funds to the PiS.
- Silence towards Finance Minister Andrzej Domański, who ignored court sentences.
- Control mechanisms to prevent abroad interference in Polish elections.
“Why did the Commission stay silent about the disobedience of Finance Minister Andrzej Domański to decisions of the ultimate Court, the State Election Commission and the Ombudsman, since it had previously openly criticized and punished the Law and Justice Government for akin cases?”
"What supervisory mechanisms has the Commission introduced to prevent the influence of abroad funds, including those related to the George Soros Foundation, on the 2025 presidential elections in Poland?"
The letter signed by 8 congressmen leaves no illusions – according to the authors, what happens in Poland is not just an interior substance of a associate State, but a test of the credibility of the full European Union. As they summarize:
"These events undermine the integrity of democratic institutions in Poland and rise questions about the function of the European Union in ensuring fair elections."
The presidential elections in Poland are not only to be a conflict for the head of state, but besides a symbolic test for European and global institutions that declare defending the principles of democracy and equal opportunities. The accusations made by Republicans from the United States have put another origin in the run — a geopolitical shadow of the rivalry of values between Brussels and Washington.
