On Wednesday, the European Union urged Hungary and Poland to improve judicial and media independence, as well as anti-corruption protections, claiming that prerequisites for unlocking billions in aid for the two countries had not been reached and that major concerns remained.
The assessment was included in the EU executive’s new rule of law report, which includes recommendations for democratic changes in all 27 member states, ranging from better financial disclosure by officials to digitalization of public administration.
‘We can only maintain credibility if we keep our own house in order.’
The Brussels-based Commission is denying Budapest access to 15.5 billion euros in stimulus funds intended to help countries recover from the COVID slump, as well as another 36 billion euros earmarked for Poland, the EU’s largest country in the east.
Payments have already been granted for 25 member countries by the Commission. Poland is in that group, but it has not yet received any funds because the Commission has pledged not to make the actual bank payment until the Polish judiciary is rectified.
On Wednesday, it stated that “severe worries about the independence of the Polish judiciary remain.”
It called for the separation of the responsibilities of justice minister and prosecutor general, as well as increased access for civil society to policymaking and a fair process for granting media broadcasting licences.
‘This is not about the rule of law,’ said Polish Justice Minister Zbigniew Ziobro, who is also the country’s prosecutor general and the man behind the revamp of Polish courts, which the EU claims has left them vulnerable to political interference.
‘It’s about power, it’s about destabilising a government with a democratic mandate in Poland,’ Ziobro said during a news conference in response to the Commission’s proposals.
Budapest has consistently stated in recent weeks that it is ready to reach an agreement with the Commission, but the executive has reported inadequate movement from Budapest.
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