EU Drops 'Rule of Law' Proceedings Against Poland

EU Drops 'Rule of Law' Proceedings Against Poland
Image copyright: Pier Marco Tacca/Contributor/Getty Images News via Getty Images

The 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

The Spin

Pro-establishment narrative

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

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.

Metaculus Prediction

Articles on this story

Sign Up for Our Free Newsletters
Sign Up for Our Free Newsletters

Sign Up!
Sign Up Now!