EU, Poland reach agreement after years of tension over ‘union law’ violations

Poland presents an action plan for the lifting of the EU’s sanctions due to the violation of the rule of law

The European Union (EU) and Poland reached an agreement following years of tension over concerns about “violating Union law” because of commitments from the new government in Warsaw.

Polish Justice Minister Adam Bodnar, EU Commission Vice President Vera Jourova, EU Commissioner for Justice Didier Reynders, and Belgian Foreign Minister Hadja Lahbib, also the President of the EU Council, made statements to the press.

Bodnar stated he was confident that his country’s concerns about the rule of law in the EU would be addressed, saying he presented an “action plan” during the meeting.

Reynders expressed a positive impression of Bodnar’s commitments, saying: “There are good steps in the action plan, such as separating the functions of the Minister of Justice and the Attorney General and then introducing a series of new laws. However, beyond that, all decisions of the EU Court of Justice and the European Court of Human Rights must be implemented.”

What happened before?

The EU accused the Polish government, particularly regarding the judicial reform in 2019, of establishing disciplinary mechanisms aimed at judges to influence them and undermine the independence of the judiciary.

The EU Commission filed a lawsuit against Poland in the EU Court of Justice, which ruled on June 5, 2023, in favor of the Commission, concluding that the country had violated EU law.

As a result, on June 8, 2023, the Commission initiated a “violation procedure” that could result in Poland’s voting rights being suspended in the EU Council.

Additionally, the Commission froze approximately 113 billion euros for funds that Poland was due to receive from the EU budget.

Source: Newsroom

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