Poland’s justice minister frames legal stability as a strategic necessity for national security, comparing it to military spending. In an interview with WNP, Waldemar Żurek argues that without predictable courts and an independent judiciary, even the strongest army cannot guarantee long-term safety.
– Countries do not fall when they lack soldiers, but when they lose the trust of their citizens in institutions. Rule of law is the foundation without which security remains an illusion – said Waldemar Żurek, minister of justice and prosecutor general.
Żurek drew a direct line between legal certainty and economic security, pointing out that foreign investors avoid nations where commercial disputes drag on for years and outcomes are unpredictable. This, he stressed, is especially critical for Poland’s defense sector, which relies on a network of smaller subcontractors.
Three pillars of legal safety
– Alongside large companies, there are hundreds of smaller subcontractors, often invisible to the public but essential for the entire system to function. They form the economic bloodstream and supply chains. For such entrepreneurs, legal certainty is not an abstract value – it often decides their continued existence – added Żurek.
He identified three specific areas where rule of law directly impacts Poland’s security: internal safety, external alliances, and economic resilience. On internal security, he noted that citizens who trust the courts do not fear their own state, and effective law enforcement shrinks space for corruption and impunity. Regarding external alliances, he said Poland’s membership in the EU and NATO is built on mutual trust earned through daily adherence to shared principles.
– Trust is today one of the most valuable strategic resources of a modern state – it builds our strength and our position on the international stage – he emphasized.
From Weimar to hybrid warfare
Żurek pointed to historical lessons, warning that democracies can collapse from within. – The Weimar Republic had one of the most democratic constitutions. It fell not because there was no law, but because state institutions were too weak to defend it – he said. He described contemporary processes of democratic backsliding that begin subtly: weakening courts, appointing loyal judges, pushing independent media to the margins.
The minister also addressed the challenge of hybrid warfare. – Modern war is a hybrid war, which we have observed in Poland for a long time. There is a huge problem with fake news in cyberspace and social media, inspired by hostile foreign intelligence services. These actions aim to destabilize the public authority system and destroy Polish legal institutions – he stated.
He stressed that rebuilding strong institutions after years of drift toward authoritarianism is urgent. – Prokuratura must react to crime regardless of political affiliations, positions held, or the current power arrangement. It is precisely such institutions that build citizens’ sense of security – Żurek concluded.
SAFE funds and the credibility test
Żurek warned that Poland’s ability to spend the enormous SAFE loan will be closely watched. Without efficient courts and a predictable legal environment, even well-managed firms can lose liquidity and collapse. – If we do not have efficient judiciary, and the state does not provide effective legal protection, a thriving company can quickly go bankrupt. Foreign investors will not place capital or modern technologies where business disputes take years and outcomes are unpredictable – he said.
He called the reform of the justice system an investment in security, less spectacular than buying new weapons but equally essential. – It is a process that cannot be completed in one year or one term. It requires consistent building of a legal culture where law is not a tool for short-term goals, but a common good protecting citizens and setting limits on power – he concluded.
Źródło: WNP.PL, Fot. Ministerstwo Sprawiedliwości / Franciszek Chodak
