The Political Capital Institute of Budapest has been examining the votes of Members of the European Parliament for 5 years and is developing 3 indexes: the Kremlin Critics Index (KCI), the China Critic Index (CCI) and the Counterauthority Index(CAI). The higher the index value on a scale of 0 to 100, the little open the EP associate is to cooperate with and transmit authoritarian regimes. The MP received a score of 100 points only erstwhile he participated in all the votes and always voted against authoritarian interests. The latest, not yet published, study concerns the 9th EP word and besides includes Polish MPs. The following are the most crucial conclusions concerning their activities:
The division line runs between Democrats and the PiS, but it should be stressed that all parties get good results in all 3 indices. Their results are derived from belonging to a political group, in peculiar the deficiency of Polish representatives in the most extremist groups. In the left-wing GUE/NGL group there were never Polish members, but in erstwhile terms the Polish voice on the extremist right was very well heard both in Brussels and in Warsaw. The representation of Poland in the 9th EP can be divided into 2 clusters: PiS (United Right) and Democrats. The first includes Polish MEPs from the ECR Group (PiS, SP, Republicans), and the second consists of all another MEPs belonging to the EPP, S&D, Renew Europe and the Greens (parties related to the current Polish government). Democrats execute well in all 3 indexes, indicating their scepticism towards Russia, China and authoritarianism. The PiS did worse, but the differences are not striking in numerical terms. However, they are clear if we look at rhetoric. These 2 clusters have marked differences in the approach to democracy, the regulation of law and human rights – crucial elements of CAI – which are key themes in national political debate. In European themes, the Law and Justice Committee regularly utilized ideological arguments (liability) and utilized discussions in the EP for the purposes of current national policies (government, minorities). For the full picture, it should be noted that Polish S&D and Green Members do not accept resolutions on leftist regimes in Latin America.
- Generally critical of the Kremlin. The good results of Polish parties in KCI are derived from general anti-Russian moods in Polish politics and Polish society. The situation is different in the case of CCI, due to the fact that the position of the Polish parties on China is not as clear as on Russia. On the another hand, however, anti-communist and pro-American (pro-Western) attitudes influence them. In this context, the approach of Polish parties should be considered pragmatic. Polish parties achieved advanced results in CCI. Their results scope from 89% to 100%, with the lowest consequence that has been achieved by the Law and Justice Office, to be consideredso critical. In the case of Polish MEPs, opposition and abstaining in votes related to Russia and China should not be identified with support for these countries and their programmes.
- Questions about respect for democracy. Examples of voting patterns and statements by Polish MEPs from the ECR group should rise concerns about respect for democracy. any of the ECR's Polish MEPs usage an alarming language expressing their anti-democratic and anti-European views, which is peculiarly evident in the EP's discussions on the regulation of law and number rights. Of all Polish Euro MPs, the behaviour of Ryszard Czarnecki (PiS) seems to be the most disturbing (apparently low score in CCI and CAI). Czarnecki besides became known as an admirer of authoritarian regimes, e.g. Azerbaijani (after participating in an unauthorized mission in Baku and identifying elections there as a "high standard", "peaceful" and "without incidents" he was excluded by the EP from being an election observer).
- Those active in national policy are the loudest critics of democratic values. Of the Polish Euro MPs in the ECR group, almost everyone showed a tendency towards authoritarianism. However, they are Euro MPs who want to play roles in national politics, who are the loudest in their criticism, for example by brutally attacking LGBTQI+ communities.
Three indexes:
Kremla Critics Index (KCI)
None of the Polish Euro MPs voted "against" in voting on Russia. KCI is very advanced for all parties. For PSL, Left and Poland 2050, it is over 95%, 94% for PO. 90% reached even Solidarna Polska. The lowest score belongs to the Law and Republican Party, 88% and 84% respectively, but it is inactive comparatively high; higher than the ECR group overall score (81%). It is worth noting that Polish parties (or individual Members in political groups) fell out better in the index than the European groups they belong to. 2 MEPs with the lowest results, namely Ryszard Legutko and Karol Karski, 77% and 76% respectively, were at the end of the ranking mainly due to their absence during the voting.
What has reduced the final assessment of any MEPs is the abstaining. In the case of ECR members, in 5 votes virtually all abstained: The impact of the war on women with Ukraine (21 members of the PiS and 2 abstentions); 2021 study on Bosnia and Herzegovina (21 members of the PiS, 2 of the SP and 1 of the Republican Party); vote on EU-Armenia relations and EU-Azerbeijan relations (21 PiS and 1 Republican organization MPs); and over establishment of an Instrument for Ukraine (18 members of the PiS abstained). There were many reasons for these interruptions, including the ideological opposition of the Law and Justice to all papers referring to the concept of "genderi", but they should not be linked to support for Russia.
Index Critics of China (CCI)
The situation is akin with CCI. All Polish democratic parties gained over 90%, only the PiS and its tiny ally, the Republican Party, did not exceed this threshold, ending with 89% and 82% respectively. It is worth noting thatSP gained 92%. All 3 parties that formed the erstwhile government obtained a higher average than their group in the EP, ECR (81%). another Polish parties did not disagree importantly from the average of their groups in the EP.
Two MEPs with the lowest score in the index: Zdzisław Kranodębski and Karol Karski belong to the ECR. However, their distinctive consequence (72%) is explained by the absence of voting alternatively than by the prognostic views. The situation is somewhat different for 2 Euro MPs with further lowest results: Mark Balt (76%) and Ryszard Czarnecki (77%). Czarnecki abstained six times and Balt voted against the resolutions critical of China twice and abstained once, making them the least critical of China Polish MEPs. Czarnecki abstained, inter alia, in the votes on the EU-China strategy, fundamental rights in Hong Kong and the situation in the Taiwan Strait. Balt voted against the study on EU-Taiwan political relations and the fresh EU-China strategy. Furthermore, in any votes, the Polish delegation in ECR en bloc abstained from the votes, namely on the post-war EU safety and Defence Policy, a study on Bosnia. Balt is not known for his prognostic positions and does not comment on Chinese politics. Czarnecki, on the another hand, is seen in the context of the PRC, among others, praised president Duda's visit to China, commented on China's function in global relations, told China with the authoritative EP delegation and spared no warm words to the hosts.
Czarnecki is known for his contacts with various interest groups and dedication to global trips, e.g. he went to Maldives with a tourist visa, where he claimed to be with the EP's authoritative mission. Think tank EU Disinfo laboratory showed that Czarnecki distributed misinformation under the influence of the Indian Srivastava group, which attacked global institutions and served India's interests. According to Think Tank Czarnecki, he was regularly active in the Indian Chronicles, a disinformation operation that resurrected dead media,Think tank and NGOs. Czarnecki helped them organize events in the EP and was the author of columnaries published in their media. It cannot be excluded that she is influenced by another groups.
Counterauthority Index (CAI)
Polish parties achieved comparatively advanced results in the CAI Index. All democratic parties achieved over 90%, which equals or exceeds the results of their groups in the EP; e.g. the PO score is 92% and the PSL 93%, compared with 90% for the EPP. 3 Polish parties belonging to ECR were below the 90% threshold, yielding 85%, 87% and 84% respectively (ECR 82%). After Russia began a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the consequence of left-wing and progressive MEPs (S&D, Greens, RE) somewhat increased and the centre-right and far-right parties fell. The decrease was 5 percent points for PO, 3 for PSL, 7 for PiS and 3 for SP. The most visible decline concerns the Republican organization (only 1 associate of the European Parliament) as it was 16 percent points and its final score of 79% is simply a origin for concern.
All (or almost all) Polish members of the ECR voted "against" 4 times, namely on the Ethiopian situation of migrants in Saudi Arabia, the Colombian peace agreement, the prisoners of war in the Azerbaijani-Armia war and the decriminalisation of homosexuality in Uganda. In the first decision, EPP Members were besides opposed. respective times Polish MEPs from ECR abstained as a group, respective times together with Polish MPs from the EPP, for example on human rights in Egypt. S&D Members along with Sylvia Spurek (Greens) were against in 2 votes and abstained in 3 – all afraid Cuba, Bolivia and Venezuela.
Again, 2 Members with the lowest results are members of the Law and Justice Office with a large number of absences from the vote, Ryszard Legutko (75%) and Karol Karski (77%). Next is Czarecki from the PiS with CAI score 82%. The Polish ECR members who achieved the worst results in the ranking saw any of the EP's votes as an chance to strengthen their message on issues current in national policy, specified as the fight against the LGBTQI+ community and the "ideology of gender" ("gender" was mentioned, for example, in the resolution on migrants from Ethiopia).
It can be concluded that all Polish MEPs from ECR argue open democracy and advance any form of authoritarianism. Among the Euro MPs of the United Right, any are peculiarly loud about this issue, namely those who want to play a function in national politics in Poland, specified as Joachim Brudziński, Ryszard Czarnecki, Anna Fotyga, Patryk Jaka, Beata Kempa, Ryszard Legutko, Jacek Saryusz-Wolski, Witold Waszczykowski.
The article is part of the study of the Political Capital Institute “Growing influence of Russia and China in the fresh European Parliament?” which was created in cooperation with the Project: Poland Foundation. The study will premiere soon, and his summary (in English) is already available.
