EU: against Poland, the European Commission examines its retaliatory options
European Parliament in Strasbourg: the Polish Prime Minister, Mateusz Morawiecki, denounced the “blackmail” of which his country is a victim from the European institutions.
REUTERS - POOL
Text by: RFI Follow
3 min
Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki before MEPs this morning, stands firm.
He engaged in a plea on the sovereignty of states vis-à-vis Brussels and denounces blackmail on the part of the European Union which suspended the payment of several billion euros in funds following a controversial decision of the Constitutional Court Polish.
The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, who made the trip for the occasion, promised to crack down on Poland ...
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with our special
correspondent in Strasbourg
,
Carlotta Morteo
Several options are on the table, said the President of the Commission.
First of all, there is an economic lever linked to the payment of funds (54 billion) - remember that Poland holds the absolute record for European subsidies and they are currently suspended - and a legal lever which would consist in taking legal action against Poland. , and yet another more political option: the triggering of Article 7 which can go as far as the suspension of a country's voting rights at the European Council.
For some, this would be the beginnings of a “Polexit”, Poland's exit from the Union;
an option that no one wants.
Ursula von der Leyen: "I am deeply worried ... it calls into question the European legal order"
Carlotta Morteo
What is asking the Commission - a majority of MEPs, from the center to the left - is not to give in, to stand firm vis-à-vis Warsaw. The speeches followed one another in the hemicycle: "it is a question of the credibility of the European institutions", some argue; "We should not create a precedent" has also been heard. And the deputies recalled that the independence of the judiciary is a prerequisite for respect for the rule of law in the Union, and it is this Polish justice which is today called into question by its proximity to the executive power and because of recent decisions it has taken which violate the rights of minorities in particular. "
Without an independent court of law, people have less protection and therefore their rights are at stake.
», Hammered Ursula Van der Leyen.
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See also
: The Polish Prime Minister warns European leaders about the future of the EU
In contrast, the right and the far right have repeatedly applauded Polish Prime Minister
Mateusz Morawiecki today
when he delivered a lesson in legal interpretation and denounced the "
blackmail
" his country was making. the object.
"
I reject the threats against Poland.
Blackmail should not be a way of behaving in politics.
We are a proud country.
What we are witnessing is a silent revolution through verdicts taken by the European Court of Justice.
We can say NO.
If you want a supranational state in Europe, ask and see if you get the consent of the member states.
I repeat: the highest law of the Republic of Poland is its Constitution.
It is above any other law.
These paternalistic lessons that we hear, on the way in which we should govern our country, that we are apparently immature, that our democracy is still young… it is a tragic story from certain European countries.
Poland respects European law, Poland will not be intimidated, and we hope for a dialogue
".
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Also listen
: Why are the Polish authorities challenging the European Union on the issue of law?
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