The people of Poland have witnessed democratic norms erode over the past decade, marked by the absence of credible courts, judicial collapse, and a lack of accountability. These actions were carried out under the Law and Justice party (PiS), spanning from 2015 to 2023. The damage this political party caused has left the nation in flux, but it didn’t result in a complete democratic breakdown. The newly elected pro-European prime minister, Donald Tusk, now controls the government. His agenda is set to restore the original democratic values Poland once favored by setting up independent power within the branches of government. However, this process is slow due to the PiS-backed president, Karol Nawrocki, who is still in power. These recent events are not only significant to Poland’s democratic restoration efforts, but also exposed threats to how democratic institutions can be weakened around the world. 

In 2015, democratic norms were threatened right away when PiS replaced the current appointed judicial judges with its own, breaking the norm of government independence. This act was enabled by the legislative branch, allowing the sejm or lower power to elect judicial members. This made it clear that the main objective was to weaken the judicial branch by restricting its ability to rule against the legislative and executive branches. This governing methodology directly aligns with a constitutional regression and shows that a stealth authoritarianism is in power. Meaning, the elimination of institutional checks, abolishing court independence, characteristics of anti-democratic practices, and undermining bureaucratic autonomy. 

The PiS party’s influence not only affected the government, but also the public media. This was done through transforming public media into propaganda tools, while pressuring private media to do the same. An example of this was an online campaign unraveled by Polish journalists that showed people were hired to harass and discredit judges through social media platforms. Another public framework the party used was the breakdown of mutual toleration and forbearance. These are known as the soft guardrails of democracy, and when broken, can lead to an unbalanced future, causing strategic manipulation points. Instances of this taking place were the constant accusations made about other parties and individuals, which then led to the structure of government being altered. Also, accusations that denied opponents of legitimacy and a willingness to reduce the civil liberties of opponents. The objective was to portray oppositions as enemies of the state and traitors to gain popularity and instill reassurance that PiS was the best for Poland. 

The European Union tried to act as a legal oversight and peacekeeper throughout the PiS reign. The EU openly warned Poland that if it continued to break democratic norms, then it would stop sending funds, and in 2022, 76.5 billion euros were frozen. Also, for the first time ever, the EU enforced Article 7.1. This article is designed to expose that there is a concern of a serious breach in the rule of law. With this being said, the EU’s influence on democratic erosion plays a major role. Some of the strengths include the ability to use financial pressure and avoid instant government collapse. One of the limits exposed was Article 7.2, which requires unanimous votes for all members of the EU. Hungary acted as a protector for Poland when this article came into play resulting in no action taking place. Recently, progress has been slow due to the PiS-backed president still holding veto power, which creates a major obstacle for any change to occur. To get around this both parties will have to cooperate and try to influence needed modifications for overall democratic stability and productivity. 

“This is how elected autocrats subvert democracy, packing and ‘weaponizing’ the courts and other neutral agencies, buying off the media and the private sector, and rewriting the rules of politics to tilt the playing field against opponents.”  This quote by political scientists Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt is word-for-word describing the series of events that took place in the past 10 years. An example like Poland teaches us there isn’t one single big move with democratic erosion, but instead a slow and steady collapse of norms. In conclusion, with the help of the EU and cooperation between the two parties in power, democratic values can be restored in Poland, and can lead to a future of prosperity.

References 

Fella, Stefano. “Poland: The Law and Justice Government and Relations with the EU, 2015-2023.” House of Commons Library, 28 Oct. 2024, commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cbp-9868/. 

Hillion, Christophe, et al. “Poland Shows That Restoring Democracy Takes More than an Election – IGCC.” Ucigcc.org, 2025, ucigcc.org/blog/poland-shows-that-restoring-democracy-takes-more-than-an-election/. 

Levitsky, Steven, and Daniel Ziblatt. “This Is How Democracies Die.” The Guardian, 8 Sept. 2018, www.theguardian.com/us-news/commentisfree/2018/jan/21/this-is-how-democracies-die.

Liboreiro, Jorge. “Breaking down the €137 Billion That Brussels Has Unfrozen for Poland.” Euronews, 29 Feb. 2024, www.euronews.com/my-europe/2024/02/29/breaking-down-the-137-billion-in-eu-funds-that-brussels-has-unfrozen-for-poland.

Macy, John, and Allyson Duncan. “The Collapse of Judicial Independence in Poland: A Cautionary Tale | Judicature.” Judicature.duke.edu, 1 Dec. 2020, judicature.duke.edu/articles/the-collapse-of-judicial-independence-in-poland-a-cautionary-tale/.