Economically dependent, plus huge support for Brussels: Why Polexit is a non-starter

Despite the dispute between Warsaw and Brussels, Poland remains vehemently pro-EU, reports WIlliam Nattrass

Former Polish president Lech Walesa addresses participants during a pro-EU demonstration in Gdansk on Sunday (AFP/Getty)

Poland made headlines last week with its declaration that its constitution should take precedence over EU law.

By appearing to undermine the EU’s legal framework – based on the assumption that the bloc’s treaties are equally binding for all member states regardless of their domestic law – the landmark verdict led many to ask whether “Polexit” could be close at hand.

Such a scenario seems highly unlikely. Huge protests took place against the Constitutional Tribunal’s ruling in cities across Poland on Sunday night. Opposition leader Donald Tusk – the former European Council president – led demonstrations in Warsaw for “all those who want to protect a European Poland”, believed to have been attended by over 100,000 people.