European Parliament asks its lawmakers to prepare a lawsuit against European Commission for not acting against Poland
The President of the European Parliament – David Sassoli has asked the lawmakers of the Parliament to prepare a lawsuit against the European Commission, the bloc’s executive arm, over its failure to Poland for violating the “Rule of Law.”
This comes after a Constitutional Tribunal Court in Poland ruled that its own Constitution takes precedence over European Union (E.U.) laws. The European Parliament has condemned the ruling as it undermines the E.U.’s legal foundation.
The leader of the ruling Law and Justice (PiS) Party of Poland – Jaroslaw Kaczynski, has been in conflict with E.U. officials for the past 6 years as PiS has sought greater control over the courts. The PiS leader along with the Prime Minister of Poland – Mateusz Morawiecki have been seeking to stop Polish judges from using E.U. law to question the status of the appointment of new judges. However, the E.U. has said that the changes will be not in line with democratic checks and balances.
In a legal decision requested by Morawiecki, the Constitutional Tribunal declared some articles in E.U. treaties “incompatible” with its national legislation and unconstitutional. Politicians across Europe have voiced dismay at the ruling, which undermined the legal pillar of European integration on which the 27-nation E.U. stands.
Speaking on the occasion, David Sassoli said, “The European Union is a community built on the principles of democracy and the rule of law. If these are under threat in a Member State, the EU must act to protect them. I have therefore asked our legal services to prepare a lawsuit against the Commission to ensure that EU rules are properly enforced”.
Taking it to twitter, Sassoli tweeted,
Democracy, freedom and the rule of law are not up for negotiation. These values are hardwired into the European project, and we all chose to abide by them on joining the EU.
— David Sassoli (@EP_President) October 21, 2021
My opening remarks at today's #EUCO https://t.co/qeoqsLgUjS
He further tweeted,
EU states that violate the rule of law should not receive EU funds. We have a mechanism for this but the @EU_Commission is failing to use it.
— David Sassoli (@EP_President) October 20, 2021
I have therefore asked our services to prepare a lawsuit against the Commission to ensure rules are enforced. https://t.co/7Z6RP7s8Ns
The E.U. has also put the € 57 billion (U.S. $ 66 billion) of funds to be provided to Poland under the Resilience and Recovery Fund (RRF) on hold. The E.U. is also mulling more fines on Poland.
However, Morawiecki said he is ready to resolve disputes with Brussels. But this won’t be easy because of ideological rift between Eastern and Western Europe. He has also ruled out the possibilities of “Polexit – Poland leaving the E.U.”
