On Tuesday, Poland will submit a plan of action to terminate EU sanctions on Warsaw for contentious judicial reforms implemented by the country’s former populist administration.
It was alleged that the nationalist Law and Justice party (PiS)government was eroding judges’ independence.
Furthermore, as part of a post-Covid recovery plan, the EU froze tens of billions of euros in funds intended for Poland.
At a meeting in Brussels, Polish Justice Minister Adam Bodnar will provide EU Justice Commissioner Didier Reynders with a plan to lift the sanctions.
After the fraught relations, the EU Commission in January welcomed the new pro-European government’s efforts to restore the rule of law which it said could allow the release of money.
The commission activated Article 7 of the EU treaty against Poland in December 2017. This is a last resort procedure used in case of threats to the rule of law.
Article 7 — also triggered against Hungary in 2018 — can theoretically go as far as suspending a state’s voting rights in the Council of the EU.
The process only resulted in warnings rather than sanctions, despite the Commission’s opinion that the Polish reforms had placed the judiciary under the political authority of the ruling majority.
The justice minister for Poland has voiced optimism that the Article 7 action could be formally overturned before to the June 6–9 European Parliament elections.
Poland received 5.1 billion euros in advance, unconditional, from the EU in November.
The remaining funds are going to be blocked until changes take care of Brussels’ issues.
