Following Brexit and the withdrawal of UK members from the European Parliament, the Law and Justice (PiS) party worked to sustain the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR). The Polish party was the largest among ECR members, and Poland was one of the largest EU member states. During this time, the ECR, initially a Eurosceptic and conservative group of political parties, shifted towards ultra-conservative positions and accepted far-right parties, including the Brothers of Italy, led by Giorgia Meloni, the Spanish Vox (which later defected to Marine Le Pen‘s hardline Patriots of Europe), and the Sweden Democrats as members in 2019. On 11 April 2023, the Finns Party, another member of Le Pen’s Identity and Democracy group, joined the ECR. The rise of Meloni’s Brothers of Italy brought her to the top of the ECR’s leadership in 2020.
Today, the Italian daily Il Giornale reported a noteworthy change in the ECR’s leadership. Former Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki is set to take over as leader of the ECR from Giorgia Meloni before Donald Trump officially becomes the next President of the United States on 20 January 2025. This decision is expected to be announced in Rome this weekend.
The newspaper noted that Meloni’s intention to leave her position was no secret, and Morawiecki was a top candidate for succession. Less than two months ago, Morawiecki expressed his readiness to “lead the conservatives” in an interview with Il Giornale.
The report indicated that Morawiecki’s assumption of party leadership would allow him to be part of the ECR delegation attending Trump’s inauguration, scheduled for 20 January in Washington. As highlighted by Il Giornale, the PiS party is seeking a strong ally in the new U.S. administration to bolster its domestic political strategy against Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk. Although Morawiecki is formally expected to take over leadership in January according to the party’s statutes, the actual handover will take place on Sunday in Rome during a conference organised by the ECR, the newspaper reports.
