The debate about the state of rule of law in Poland was the latest in a series of European Parliament discussions triggered by sweeping changes introduced by the conservative Law and Justice (PiS) party, including to the judiciary, after coming to power late last year.
Situation in Poland 'has not improved'
Opening Wednesday’s debate, the European Commission's deputy president, Frans Timmermans, said the situation in Poland “has not improved” since the EU's executive issued recommendations in July on resolving a deadlock over Poland’s Constitutional Tribunal.
He said he was “deeply concerned” by recent developments in Poland which “threaten to deepen the rule of law crisis in Poland.”
Timmermans appealed to Polish President Andrzej Duda to swear in three Constitutional Tribunal judges selected by the previous parliament and to publish all rulings by the court, a step needed to make them valid.
In January, the European Commission, the EU’s executive arm, announced it was starting a "rule-of-law" probe into whether laws pushed through by Poland’s ruling Law and Justice violate party EU standards. PiS has fiercely rejected such accusations.
'Master rather than partner'
Britain’s Syed Kamall, leader of the European Conservatives and Reformists group in the European Parliament, on Wednesday told fellow MEPs: “The Polish government needs no lecture from you guys on how to run a democracy.”
He added: “Many brave Poles who fought against martial law are beginning to feel that in Brussels they have a master rather than a partner.”
Kamall claimed that after losing democratic elections at home, Polish opposition politicians “seek to attack their government in Brussels and Strasbourg. Forgetting the fact they packed the constitutional court when they were in power.”
'Restrictions on freedom'
Sophia in 't Veld, a Dutch MEP from the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe, said: “The Polish government is robbing the Polish people of their right and freedoms. I wonder if this is what Polish people voted for [in elections] a year ago. Did they vote for restrictions of their freedom? I don’t think so.”
PiS MEP Ryszard Legutko denied that Poland has a problem with the rule of law.
“This decision to debate Poland doesn’t make sense,” he said.
The rule-of-law probe launched by the European Commission could in theory lead to Brussels imposing penalties on Warsaw, but any such move would have to be backed unanimously by EU member states. Hungary has said it would not support sanctions.
(pk)