EU Drops 'Rule of Law' Proceedings Against Poland

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Facts

  • European Commission Pres. Ursula von der Leyen has said that the EU would end its six-year-long 'rule of law' proceedings against Poland, citing a 'new chapter' for the country under Prime Minister Donald Tusk.1
  • In a statement released Monday, the Commission said that 'there is no longer a clear risk of a serious breach of the rule of law in Poland' under Article 7(1) of the Treaty on EU, and so the administrative body was withdrawing its Reasoned Proposal from 2017.2
  • This comes after Poland committed to adopting a series of legislative and non-legislative measures to address concerns over the independence of its judiciary, and presented an 'Action Plan' in February to adhere to the EU's rulings and protocols.2
  • The decision is pending the approval of all member states, but it reportedly marks a victory for pro-liberal, pro-EU Tusk. By establishing closer links to Brussels, Poland has also unlocked €137B that was withheld from the previous regime.3
  • The EU launched proceedings against Poland's Law and Justice party, which took office in 2015, and took steps to remove the country's voting rights in December 2017. However, it couldn't get all member states to agree to the move.4
  • Tusk's government has vowed to roll back the Law and Justice party's policies, 'restore the rule of law,' and mend relations with the bloc.5

Sources: 1Reuters, 2European Commission, 3Euronews, 4Al Jazeera and 5Dw.Com.

Narratives

  • Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by Guardian. Prime Minister Donald Tusk has made good on his promise to mend ties with the EU and bring Poland back into the European mainstream. His right-wing predecessors frequently undermined the EU's democratic values, putting the country at odds with the European Commission. Under a liberal government, Poland is pushing towards a more independent judiciary and reaping the economic rewards of aligning with the EU.
  • Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by Europeanconservative. The EU undermined one of Europe's only conservative regimes by trying to punish the Law and Justice party for prioritizing Poland first. The EU withheld more than €100B in funding from Poland to punish the government and bully the country into electing a pro-EU liberal. Now, the European Commission is rewarding its puppet ruler. The EU wants ultimate control over its member states, and it punished Poland for defecting from the bloc's far-left globalist agenda.

Predictions