Warsaw, Poland – In a significant political move, former Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki is reportedly in the running for the leadership of the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) party, EURACTIV reported today. The coveted role is currently held by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. The news, first reported by EURACTIV based on Polish media reports, underscores the changing dynamics within Europe’s right-wing political landscape.
Earlier reports from Polish magazine Wprost, highlighted by Euractiv, suggested that Morawiecki could reach an agreement with Meloni to succeed him as ECR president. However, the latest updates from the tabloid Fakt, reported by Euractiv, indicate that no final decision has been made. A source close to Morawiecki told Fakt: “Negotiations are ongoing. The chances are 50/50. Nothing is settled yet.” The source also noted Meloni’s reluctance to give up her position, while the Polish side is actively trying to convince her.
As Euractiv pointed out, neither the ECR nor Morawiecki’s Law and Justice (PiS) party responded to requests for comment, leaving the political community in suspense.
If Morawiecki were to secure the ECR presidency, it would mark a strategic victory for his party, strengthening its influence on the European right. The move follows PiS’s electoral defeat by a broad centre-left coalition led by former European Council President Donald Tusk (Civic Platform, EPP) last year. For Morawiecki, the ECR leadership could serve as a political refuge if he is not chosen as PiS’s candidate in next year’s Polish presidential election.
As Euractiv notes that President Andrzej Duda has completed his second term in 2025 and is constitutionally barred from running again, PiS is looking for a new candidate. Morawiecki is reportedly among the contenders, alongside other prominent figures such as MEPs Patryk Jaki and Tobiasz Bocheński, former defence minister Mariusz Błaszczak and former education minister Przemysław Czarnek. Each potential candidate brings unique political strengths and challenges, with Bocheński emerging as PiS leader Jarosław Kaczyński’s new favourite, while Jaki, Błaszczak and Czarnek remain polarising but popular among PiS supporters.
The announcement of the PiS presidential candidate is expected at the party congress in September or early October. Meanwhile, the ruling coalition has yet to reveal its candidate and Prime Minister Donald Tusk has publicly ruled out running for president. Tusk, as Euractiv points out, lost the 2005 presidential election to Lech Kaczyński, the late twin brother of PiS leader Jarosław Kaczyński, and remains a central figure in Polish politics.
As the political landscape in Europe continues to shift, Morawiecki’s potential ascension to the ECR presidency could redefine alliances and power dynamics, not only in Poland but across the European conservative movement as a whole. As Euractiv reports, the coming months will be crucial in determining the future trajectory of Morawiecki’s political career and the ECR leadership.
Originally published in The European Times.
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