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Xpost
#Poland

One of the reasons for the riots in #Polen is that Tusk wants to introduce the euro. Why Poland doesn't have it yet (and therefore still uses the zloty) is as follows:

-Because the country (like Sweden, Czechia, Hungary, and Romania) does not meet the Maastricht criteria, there is little political and public support, and the domestic złoty offers economic benefits. The country has been an EU member since 2004 and is formally obligated to adopt the euro at some point, but no deadline has been set. It can therefore delay the process by not meeting the conditions or not actively working toward them.

• According to the most recent Convergence Reports from the European Commission (including 2024 and 2026), Poland does not meet the required criteria. Key bottlenecks are: A high budget deficit (around 7.3% of GDP in 2025, while the limit is 3% and we just meow about France).
  Inflation and long-term interest rates that exceed the reference values.
  No participation in the exchange rate mechanism ERM II (minimum two years of stable exchange rate required).
  The legal framework (constitution and law on the National Bank of Poland) is not fully compatible with eurozone requirements.

• Poland is one of the EU's fastest-growing economies and often performs better than many eurozone countries. The flexible złoty gives the central bank room to tailor monetary policy to Poland's situation (for example, interest rate cuts or exchange rate adjustments in response to shocks). This helped Poland weather the 2008 financial crisis relatively well and absorb later shocks.

• A majority of Poles are against the euro. Polls (Eurobarometer and national surveys) show support often ranging between 26% and 43%, with opposition sometimes at 50-74%. Key objections include fear of price increases, loss of control over monetary policy, and sovereignty. Right-wing parties like PiS are strongly opposed.

• The Polish constitution explicitly names the złoty as the currency and grants the central bank exclusive powers over monetary policy. Introducing the euro would require a constitutional amendment (two-thirds majority in the Sejm). That is politically difficult without broad support.

In short: Much more is at play in the background than just squabbling over the appointment of a judge.

https://x.com/SturgesOpinie/status/2116306456404214056?a=sLAexaqRQ05gMe8bZMs&s=19