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fromAndreas Schwarzkopf
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conclude
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Proponents of the rule of law mechanism for the EU must not allow themselves to be blackmailed by Poland and Hungary at the summit. The editorial.
It is overdue and necessary if governments of the European Union will in future receive less or no more funding from Brussels, if they put themselves above the law and harass judges or restrict the work of independent media.
That would be good for the development of the EU states and bad for Hungary and Poland, who have dismantled democratic rights in recent years. And that is why the proponents of the rule of law mechanism at the video summit of the EU on Thursday, Budapest and Warsaw, must not give in. Not even if the budget and the corona aid cannot be passed as planned now, but only in December.
Anyway, the proponents of the rule of law mechanism have no choice but to continue to accept the power struggle and fight it to the end. After all, hints, encouragement, appeals and open arguments in recent years have not led the increasingly authoritarian governments in Budapest and Warsaw to adhere to the values and standards of the Union. On the contrary, they have continued to develop towards illegitimate democracy.
Consequentially, the advocates of democratic rights went a step further. The Commission, numerous states and the EU Parliament now want to turn off the money to all those states that are saying goodbye to the community of values.
Hungary and Poland not only have the worse arguments when they claim that the EU wants to blackmail them with the rule of law. Fewer and fewer people in Hungary and Poland believe that.
In any case, resistance to the PiS government is growing, especially in Poland, where the EU is highly regarded. There and in Hungary more and more people understand that their countries also depend on the billions from the EU pots. So Budapest and Warsaw are not as strong as they want to appear with their veto.
So it is conceivable that the Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban will give in after a tough, but lonely and hopeless struggle against too great an overwhelming power. So he could go back home saving face. The Polish government would certainly follow him on this path.
It is more likely that the dispute will not be resolved and that a solution will be sought by the December summit. That would buy the two warring parties time. However, that would also mean that the money for the EU budget and Corona aid can only flow in months later in the spring. But EU states like Spain are already planning to use these funds at the turn of the year. Madrid wants to help the corona-damaged economy on its feet. This shows how irresponsible Hungary and Poland are.
However, a compromise like the EU is also possible, which occasionally covers up conflicts with money. But it won’t be easy this time. Ultimately, Brussels would send the signal that it could be blackmailed. That would be a heavy mortgage.
In addition, the EU cannot actually afford this dispute. You would have to settle it as quickly as possible and deal with numerous challenges.
Germany and the other EU countries must prepare for Joe Biden’s new US government. Economically and in terms of defense policy, the Europeans face many discussions to which they have not yet had a conclusive answer. The Biden administration will certainly try to pull the EU over to the US side in the dispute with China.
At the same time, China has signed a trade agreement with other Asia-Pacific countries that is reorganizing part of the world economy. And politically, Beijing has expanded its influence. This, too, gives rise to questions to which Europeans have not yet had conclusive answers. Not to mention the negotiations with the UK on future cooperation after Brexit.
The list of tasks and challenges for Germany and the other EU states could easily be extended. In any case, it becomes clear that time is of the essence – not only in the conflict with Hungary and Poland over the rule of law mechanism. It should also be clear to the governments in Budapest and Warsaw.
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