Tag: rule of law

PiS claims there are fewer attacks on the EU and Brussels, but this is only ostensible peace. The propaganda of the authorities targeted at the EU is sending the message: since there is a war, let us rule without restrictions.

This text analyses why the existing EU instruments have been unable to prevent this phenomenon and why the risk increases significantly with the launch of the Recovery Fund. We present a new rule of law conditionality mechanism adopted by the EU and the circumstances in which it could be used. We show that the situation in Poland meets the criteria of a “serious risk of impact” on EU finances, which is defined in the EU regulation as a sufficient reason to activate the mechanism. Finally, we argue that the prompt use of the rule of law conditionality mechanism is a necessary measure as the EU defends itself against the exacerbation of “grand corruption” and “authoritarian equilibrium” (Daniel Kelemen) that threaten the future of the EU.

‘The declaration of the European Council was purely a face-saving document for domestic use in Poland and Hungary. There are 11 points on the rule of law issue. Not a single one of these points changed the rule of law legislation,’ says Petri Sarvamaa, Finnish MEP of the European People’s Party (EPP)

Civil Development Forum (FOR) presents the third report on the crisis of the rule of law in Poland. This part deals with the rule of law and the functioning of the legal system during the COVID-19 pandemic

‘These are inquisitorial proceedings. This has nothing to do with a fair trial,’ said Judge Beata Morawiec’s defence attorneys. The judge can still appeal against the Disciplinary Chamber’s decision

The rule of law in Poland and other member states is important not only for the citizens of these countries, but also for the future of the European project as a club of countries with high-quality democratic institutions safeguarding human rights – says Civil Development Forum (FOR)

Przemysław Radzik’s letter to the local disciplinary commissioners at the district and appellate courts shows that Ziobro’s people are heading for a total attack on defiant judges. This is because such record-breaking disciplinary action is absurd and will be extensively commented on in the EU.

Independence of the judiciary and the rule of law have been almost completely absent from the presidential campaign in Poland. But the result of the elections will fundamentally affect these areas. We discuss two scenarios: if the incumbent president Andrzej Duda wins, and if his challenger Rafał Trzaskowski wins.

This institution needs to be radically changed, including in personal terms. And this is the only conclusion that arises from what is happening there right now. Because the judicial community, especially the Supreme Court, should be a model of civic virtue, said PiS party chairman Jarosław Kaczyński.

Dozens of EU and constitutional law professors and associations of judges and prosecutors urge the European Commission to act and to prevent irreversible changes that will de facto exclude Poland from the circle of European legal culture and western democracy