Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda says he raised women's rights during his Tuesday meeting with Polish President Andrzej Duda and called on him to seek a dialogue with the public amid ongoing protests against abortion ban.
"Inevitably, as good friends do, we spoke about difficult issues as well, with human rights among them," Nausėda posted on Facebook after the meeting on Tuesday. "My position is clear as I have always spoken and will speak out in favor of cherishing human rights and freedoms and having an impartial dialogue with the public. I am sticking to this position, also when it comes to the issue of women's reproductive health in Poland as well."
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The Lithuanian leader expressed hope that Poland will look for "constructive dialogue with all public groups".
Major protests in Poland were sparked by the Constitutional Tribunal's recent ruling that the existing laws allowing abortions in cases of fetal deformities run counter to the country's constitution.
Issued in October, the ruling led to further tightening of the abortion laws in Poland, which already was one of the most restrictive in Europe.
The Lithuanian and Polish leaders also discussed ways to fight the coronavirus pandemic, joint testing and vaccination strategies.
Read more: Vilnius cannot 'turn blind eye' to women's rights in Poland, say Lithuanian leaders
Among other things, Nausėda and Duda spoke about the EU budget and the recovery fund and its swifter approval.
"I believe the European Parliament's compromise on linking the rule of law with the EU budget will be acceptable for all countries," Nauseda said.
Poland and Hungary on Monday blocked the confirmation of the EU budget as it contains a clause stating that the provision of funds could be suspended to member states that violate the rule of law.
Duda defends Poland's EU budget veto
Polish President Andrzej Duda defended Warsaw's decision to block the EU budget, saying that the proposed link between the allocation of funds and the rule of law is not provided for in the EU treaty and might be discriminatory.
"There can be no introduction of any elements that are not written in the EU treaty. There can be no assessment that is not based on the EU treaty," the Polish leader told a press conference in Vilnius on Tuesday.
"We disagree with the dictate. […] All states must have the same status, we need to speak about clear criteria states will be evaluated on," he added.
On Monday, Hungary and Poland blocked the endorsement, of the EU's 1 trillion euro budget for 2021–2027 and the 750 billion euro package of financial anti-pandemic instruments, pushing the block into a political crisis.
The veto on the budget and recovery package sparked resentment in Brussels.
Duda says the rule-of-law link in the budget violates Poland's and other countries' interests.
"We believe that it's not only Poland's interest, it also violates interests of other European countries. It leads to a situation that can potentially give hegemony to stronger EU member states over weaker ones," he said.
"The principles should be the same for everyone. They cannot be formulated in a way that gives space for actions that would violate another country's sovereignty or honour," the Polish leader said.
Meanwhile, Nausėda said EU member states should go back to the negotiating table and look for a common way out of the crisis.
"We are saying that the principle of the rule of law is in no way aimed at Hungary, Poland or any specific country. It applies to all EU member states, including the biggest and the smallest ones, and it can be violated in any state. Therefore, I would suggest going back to the negotiating table to resolve all remaining disagreements," the Lithuanian leader said.
"Otherwise, we will all suffer. This document that was endorsed is beneficial for everyone, including Poland and Lithuania," Nausėda said.
According to the Lithuanian leader, "more things can be achieved through dialogue than through arm-wrestling".
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