The European Commission is preparing to open a new infringement procedure against Poland for its legislation against EU law, in this case for the controversial law aimed at investigating and excluding government officials whom Warsaw considers complicit in favor of Russian interests and which Brussels watches with concern, because it does not provide for those punished to be able to resort to justice to defend themselves.
“We discussed the situation in Poland and the Commissioners Board agreed to initiate an infringement procedure by sending a letter of subpoena,” explained the vice president of economics to the executive director of the society, Valdis Dombrowskis, at a news conference in Brussels.
The new law provides for the creation of a commission to check Russian influence in Poland, but critical voices in the country warn that it is a tool to unseat former prime minister and leader of the main opposition party, the Civic Platform, Donald Tusk.
Last week, Justice Commissioner Didier Reynders warned of the “restlessness” Brussels has seen in the development of this new law and warned Poland’s ultra-conservative government that the commission would not hesitate to take action if the legislation persists.
Reynders explained that the aforementioned law prevents those deprived of holding public office from appealing the decision of the Special Committee through the courts, which in fact means impeding access to justice, a right protected by the European Union.
In a sign of growing concern in Brussels, the heads of five political groups in the European Parliament have sent a letter to the OSCE director responsible for democratic institutions and human rights asking him to undertake a large-scale monitoring mission for legislative elections at the end of the year.
The letter, dated June 6, cited Russia’s law of influence among several other factors, such as “a structural lack of judicial independence and a panorama of middle“.
