Polish Prime Minister faces tensions with EU ally

The leader of Poland's ruling party Law and Justice PiS, Jaroslaw Kaczynski, admitted there are tensions between the prime minister and justice minister who leads a small governing coalition party.

Kaczynski made a statement on Monday, as opposition parties tried to oust Justice Minister Zbigniew Ziobro, the leader of Solidary Poland, a Eurosceptic ally of PiS, in a no-confidence vote.

The justice minister has taken a more confrontational approach towards Brussels, with reports of a split between Ziobro and Mateusz Morawiecki, the prime minister.

Prime Minister Morawiecki will be in parliament and will vote with his closest associates to oppose the no-confidence motion, Kaczynski said. "The vote certainly won't be a test of strength between Minister Ziobro and Prime Minister Morawiecki. The ruling party leader admitted that there was tension between Morawiecki and Ziobro.

The minister doesn't see different complications. The scope of implications that Poland is involved in and must be involved in, as we're part of the global market and at the same time our society wants Poland to be in the European Union, Kaczynski said.

There were mistakes when all of this is taken into account, but in general, there is no alternative to the policy pursued by the prime minister.

Later on Monday, the prime minister said he would support the justice minister in the no-confidence vote.

I will defend the minister, of course, and I will defend the unity of the United Right, the ruling coaliton-PAP Morawiecki said.

He said that we're convinced that our government will be united despite the fact that our discussions are sometimes very open.

Poland has been in a dispute with the EU over the PiS government's changes to the justice system that Brussels says violates EU principles. Ziobro accused Morawiecki of colonising Poland, accusing the EU of being too lenient in the conflict.