Poland’s minister for EU affairs leaves government

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Poland’s minister for ties with the European Union has resigned amid his country’s fractious relationship with the 27-nation bloc and domestic tensions. Konrad Szymanski’s departure Wednesday was interpreted as a weakening of the team of Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki at a time of rising tensions inside the government over the energy crisis and ways of countering inflation and the rising costs of living. Poland’s right-wing government has various disputes with Brussels, the main one being over its rule-of-law and democracy record, leading to a freezing of EU funds for Poland’s pandemic recovery. Opposition lawmaker Lukasz Kohut says “It is not good when a relatively pro-European minister goes and will probably be replaced by someone decidedly more anti-European.”