Szydło on EC decision: There is no inspection, only dialogue

Prime Minister Beata Szydlo reacted to yesterday's findings of the European Commission (EC) by commenting in a press conference that the declared actions of the EC do not call for an inspection of the government's actions, but merely increased dialogue between the two parties. Szydlo also emphasized that dialogue between the Polish government and the EU has already been ongoing for some time. She also personally invited all of the EC commissioners to visit Poland in order to get a closer look at the situation, while suggesting that they had not had enough time to get acquainted with the state of affairs in Poland. She also pledged to pass over any requested documents to the EC, and appealed to the political opposition to cooperate and join the dialogue with Brussels,  so that the "EU can focus its attention on more important matters." This morning Szydlo appeared on a news program on TVN24, and reaffirmed the notion that the situation is being overblown, both by Brussels and the media, saying that the entire situation "is not an exceptional case, just normal procedure." She proclaimed that Commissioner Timmermans, the politician heading yesterday's hearing at the EC, does not really know the situation in Poland. She added that there is no risk of sanctions for Poland, as "the European commission cannot punish [nations]."  Szydlo also noted that she will come to the European Parliament for a debate on Poland, and will be talking with EU Parliament head Martin Schultz later today.