Hungary and Poland Brussels may cut funding
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Warsaw is required to clarify the situation with the independence of the judiciary, from Budapest – aspects related to public procurement and corruption.
The European Commission (EC) may soon send so-called “blue letters” to Poland and Hungary as an unofficial first step towards launching a mechanism to cut funding for these EU countries due to problems with the rule of law. This was announced on Friday, November 19, by Politico, citing two sources.
As expected, Warsaw will be required to clarify the situation with the independence of the judiciary and compliance with EU legislation in Poland, from Budapest – aspects related to public procurement, the threat of conflict of interest and corruption in Hungary. Each country will be given two months to respond.
The European Parliament has filed a lawsuit against the European Commission
The European Commission has been vigorously criticized by EU legislators, activists and opponents of the authorities in Budapest and Warsaw for pulling with the use of its powers to deprive these countries of funds from EU funds. The European Parliament even filed a lawsuit against the EC due to her inability to apply this tool.
The EU rule of law mechanism has been in place since early 2021. It provides that the European Commission can reduce the allocation of funds from the joint budget to those states in which there is a threat of misuse of money due to violations of the rule of law.
Investigation and penalty procedure
In April 2020, the European Commission initiated a new investigation against Poland due to the reform of the judicial system in that country. Warsaw was required to bring this system in line with EU standards. In 2018, the European Parliament initiated a penalty procedure against Hungary, accusing Budapest of disrespecting European values and violating the principles of the rule of law.
A source: Russian service DW
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