The European Commission cited a number of concerns regarding the rule of law in Poland and Hungary in yesterday's report, which could affect the decision whether these two countries will receive billions of euros from EU funds for recovery from the coronavirus pandemic.
The EC has given Poland until August 16 to comply with last week's ruling by the EU's top court, which Warsaw is ignoring, that says Poland's system of disciplining judges is in breach of EU law and should be suspended.
If Poland does not comply, the Commission will ask the EU Court to impose financial sanctions on Warsaw, the EC Vice-President said at the press conference. Vera Jurova.
The commission raised a number of the same issues in last year's report, but they could have real consequences only now, since Brussels has conditioned access to the recovery fund, which consists of grants and loans worth a total of 800 billion euros, on compliance with the rule of law.
The Commission stated that Poland and Hungary are undermining media pluralism and the independence of the judiciary. These are the only two countries in the 27-member bloc that are under official EU investigation for undermining the rule of law.
Polish government spokesman Piotr Muller announced on Twitter that the government will analyze Commission documents regarding the need to comply with EU court rulings.
Hungarian Minister of Justice Judit varga posted on Facebook that the Commission is blackmailing Hungary over a child protection law that "does not allow LGBTQ activists access to Hungarian kindergartens and schools and prohibits sexual propaganda in these institutions."
The EC has already delayed approving a 7,2 billion euro bailout for Hungary in an attempt to win concessions from the government Viktor Orban in the area of the rule of law and has yet to approve 23 billion in grants and 34 billion in soft loans for Poland.
The report states that Hungary has not acted on the Commission's request to strengthen the independence of the judiciary and that its anti-corruption strategy is limited.
Reuters reports that during his decade in power, Orbán has used billions of euros of state money and EU funds in part to build a loyal business elite that includes his family clans and friends.
The commission cited constant deficiencies in the Hungarian way of financing political parties and the risks of clientelism and nepotism in the high public administration.
A significant amount of government advertising goes to pro-government media, while independent media and journalists face obstruction and intimidation, the report said.
The report also expresses concern about the influence of the Polish nationalist Law and Justice (PiS) party on the judicial system.
Since last year, the professional environment for journalists in Poland has deteriorated due to "intimidating court procedures, failure to protect journalists and violent activities during protests by police forces," the report said.
The commission also addressed criticism of Slovenia, where media freedom advocates accuse the government of putting pressure on state media and journalists. "The situation with media freedom and pluralism is worsening in Slovenia," the report states, pointing to "online harassment and threats directed at journalists." "Politiko" writes that the government's refusal to finance the Slovenian News Agency, which is a source of independent news in the country, is particularly emphasized.
The commission also expressed concern about the lack of "final verdicts for high-profile corruption cases" in Bulgaria. It is also stated that in Croatia, the current process of appointing the president of the Supreme Court leads to "increasing controversies and disparaging public statements against judges".
According to this year's edition of the report, some member states have taken steps to address challenges to the rule of law, although shortcomings remain.
"In Malta, the comprehensive reforms of 2020 are now being implemented and have contributed to strengthening the independence of the judiciary," the EC stated. "In Slovakia, important steps have been taken to strengthen the integrity and independence of the judiciary," and positive developments have also been noted in Romania, the EC pointed out.
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