Poland once again became the focus of attention of the European Commission. This time due to a new law introduced by the party-led government Law and Justice (Pee), that’s a Special committee to study Russian influence It has the power to ban citizens from public office for 10 years. Twenty-four hours after the event government Joe Biden The alarm went off, Brussels took the gauntlet and joined Washington’s message of concern. “This is a matter of concern” and “the European Commission will not hesitate to act if the law comes into force,” the Justice Commissioner warned on Tuesday. Didier Reynders When he arrived at the Council of Ministers for General Affairs.
Despite the skepticism of jurists, the president Andrzej Duda The law that will enter into force was published last Monday, although it has been referred to the Constitutional Court for consideration. The rule has generated a lot of controversy and concern on both sides of the Atlantic. The US government was alarmed as soon as the new bill became known, which created a special committee to study Russia’s impact on Poland’s internal security between 2007 and 2022.
“We are concerned about new Polish legislation that could be abused to interfere with Polish elections. It could be used to block the candidacy of opposition politicians without due process,” a US State Department spokesperson said on Monday. Critics of the law argue that the new commission could dictate decisions unilaterally. disqualification without court intervention What will this body turn into? politically controlled extrajudicial apparatus will not be held responsible and may be used for undermine the opposition.
“No Fair Trial”
It’s also a planned concern in Brussels. “This new law raises concerns that it could be used to influence people’s ability to run for public office. no fair trial“The Commission will review legislation, but we will not hesitate to take action if necessary, because it is impossible to accept such a system without access to justice, an independent judge,” Reynders added, after the European Commission expressed its concerns to European affairs ministers.
“We will not hesitate to take urgent measures if we deem it necessary,” said the vice president for European values. Vera Jourovaafter the ministerial meeting. As he himself explained, the issue was “briefly” brought up at the meeting, as it was not part of the meeting. Article 7 of the TreatyThe nuclear button, which allows countries violating the values in Article 2 of the Treaty to withdraw their right to vote in the Council, was not addressed.