The European Parliament has adopted a resolution urging the other EU institutions to show “genuine commitment” and make “meaningful progress” to “address the deterioration of EU values in Hungary and Poland”.
MEPs also called on the European Council and European Commission not to approve Covid recovery funds for the two countries “until [they] have fully complied with all…recommendations in the field of the rule of law and until they have implemented all the relevant judgments” of European courts.
Figures from Poland’s ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party responded by condemning those who are seeking to punish Poland at a time when it has been supporting millions of Ukrainian refugees. One PiS MEP accused them of “acting on behalf of Putin”; another said they were spreading “neo-Marxist gibberish”.
Polska ofiarnie pomaga milionom ukraińskich uchodźców oraz wspiera walczącą Ukrainę. Jak na to reagują posłowie do PE? Wydają rezolucję wzywającą KE do dalszego blokowania KPO dla Polski, a nawet do odbierania innych środków. Walka przeciw Polsce to działanie na rzecz Putina!
— Beata Szydło (@BeataSzydlo) May 5, 2022
Yesterday, a large majority of 426 MEPs voted in favour of the resolution on Poland and Hungary following a debate on the situation in both countries and the ongoing rule-of-law proceedings against them under Article 7 of the Treaty on European Union. Only 133 voted against it and 37 abstained.
“The situation in Poland continues to give rise to very serious concerns,” noted EU Justice Commissioner Didier Reynders during the debate. He revealed that the fines issued against Poland for failing to implement two European Court of Justice (ECJ) rulings have reached €160 million.
After Poland also refused to pay those fines, the commission recently began to deduct the money from the country’s EU funds. It has also been holding up the disbursement of billions of euros in Covid recovery funds until Warsaw addresses concerns over the rule of law, in particular its disciplinary chamber for judges.
Reynders this week welcomed the fact that there have been a number of legislative developments towards amending the disciplinary regime for judges.
This is a “positive step”, he told the European Parliament, but also made clear that “what will eventually matter is the extent to which the legislation – as finally adopted by the Polish parliament – will address the requirements set out by the Court of Justice”.
"What will eventually matter is the extent to which the legislation – as finally adopted by the Polish parliament – will address the requirements set out by the Court of Justice"
Commissioner @dreynders addresses the EP on rule of law in Poland 🇵🇱
🎬 https://t.co/Su6OudlEsd pic.twitter.com/jOyRLLihz8
— European Parliament Audiovisual (@europarlAV) May 3, 2022
The very fact that the European Parliament was debating such issues this week sparked outrage from representatives of Poland’s ruling national-conservative coalition.
Joachim Brudziński, a PiS MEP and former interior minister, noted that the debate took place on 3 May, a national holiday in Poland celebrating the country’s first constitution in 1791.
“Why are you spoiling Poles’ holiday?” he asked. “Why are you trying to give away our right to be proud Europeans on the day of our most important national holiday?”
He finished his speech by saying that Europe should be based on “real values” derived from the Bible, Greek philosophy and Roman law rather than “neo-Marxist leftie gibberish”.
Beata Szydło, another PiS MEP and former prime minister, called the debate “a new level of hypocrisy and shame” for the European Parliament, saying it was characterised by “the typical deceitful talk of a group of radicals”.
“Poland is generously helping millions of Ukrainian refugees and supporting Ukraine in its fight,” she noted. “How do MEPs react to this? They issue a resolution calling on the European Commission to continue blocking [recovery funds] for Poland, and even to take away other funds. Fighting against Poland is acting on behalf of Putin!”.
Main image credit: European Parliament/Flickr (under CC BY 2.0)
Agnieszka Wądołowska is deputy editor of Notes from Poland. She has previously worked for Gazeta.pl and Tokfm.pl and contributed to Gazeta Wyborcza, Wysokie Obcasy, Duży Format, Midrasz and Kultura Liberalna
