The European Commission has to assess the rule of law in each member state and it has the biggest reservations regarding Poland and Hungary – points out MEP Bogusław Liberadzki (SLD/S&D). According to Andrzej Halicki (PO/EPP), the situation is a stalemate, which endangers the payment of EU funds. Ryszard Czarnecki (PiS/ECR), who is sure that Poland will receive the money, takes a different view. “It’s not a question of if, it’s a question of when,” he emphasizes. Jadwiga Wiśniewska, MEP (PiS/ECR) believes that the European Commission is exceeding its competencies by delaying the approval of the Polish National Recovery Plan.
Democratic Left Alliance (SLD) MEP Bogusław Liberadzki points out that the European Commission must take into account the position of the European Parliament, which seems to be quite unambiguous.
“The European Commission must assess the rule of law of every member state, without exception, whether it is a large state or a small one. This assessment so far shows the greatest reservations towards Poland and Hungary,” he explains.
Civic Platform (PO) MEP Andrzej Halicki also speaks about the EC’s reservations.
“Despite the assurances of Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki to dissolve the Disciplinary Chamber of the Supreme Court we have the refusal of the Minister of Justice (Zbigniew Ziobra) to do so, despite the initial declaration to respect the rulings of the CJEU, that is to restore the judges deprived of the possibility of adjudication, 12 judges, in Warsaw the Commissioner (EU Justice Didier) Reynders heard the refusal,” Halicki notes.
“So, we have a stalemate situation, we have a situation where there is no dialogue, and this means that not only the NIP (National Reconstruction Plan) funds are at risk; we are going to have problems with the EU budget funds, because the new perspective, let’s recall that these funds are also connected with the conditionality regarding the rule of law,” the MEP stresses.
MEP Ryszard Czarnecki of the Law and Justice party is of the opposite opinion. “For me, it is a dogma, a certainty that Poland will receive this money from the Recovery Fund. It’s not a question of if, it’s a question of when,” he points out.
According to Czarnecki, other countries that submitted their KPOs a few months after Poland have already received the green light. In this context, he points to Bulgaria.
“Although this country right here in the Europarliament is accused of corruption, is politically unstable, (held there) four elections in a year, this is a record of the European Union, but such double standards exist,” argues the MEP.
“They are also manifested in the fact that comments have been raised against us regarding the judiciary when the same institutional solutions or very similar ones in countries such as Germany, France, Spain, the Netherlands have not raised any objections from the European Commission,” the politician adds.
Law and Justice (PiS) MEP Jadwiga Wiśniewska note that the European Commission should be the guardian of the treaties.
“The EC should make sure that competencies are not exceeded, and you are the one who goes beyond the competencies that are entrusted and defined in the treaties. Health policy, as well as justice, are the exclusive competence of the member state,” she said during a debate in the European Parliament, addressing EC representatives.
The Recovery Fund (Next Generation EU) is the European Union’s response to the new threats and challenges posed by the pandemic. The largest part of the Recovery Fund is the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF). To tap into these funds, each state had to prepare its National Recovery Plan. The vast majority of the plans submitted were approved; polish KPO is still awaiting approval.