/ world today news/ The European Parliament does not intend to put up with violations of the principles of rule of law in countries such as Hungary or Poland and wants to be able to impose financial sanctions. The German-led EU council opposes the idea, which is unlikely to be approved by the Hungarian or Polish governments. To get out of this dilemma, we have to rely on the influence of Angela Merkel and Ursula von der Leyen, writes the German magazine Focus.
The European Parliament has made it clear that it no longer intends to put up with violations of legal principles by Poland and Hungary and intends to respond by cutting funds from the European budget, German magazine Focus writes. Now is the time for Ursula von der Leyen and Angela Merkel to express their position on these plans.
As the publication notes, the president of the European Commission became one of the two representatives of Germany whom the American magazine Time named among the hundreds of most influential people on the planet. The other was German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Both German women must now demonstrate how far their influence extends, at least within the European Union, as they are now facing a serious crisis both financially and in terms of belief in their power, writes Focus.
On Thursday, when von der Leyen turned 62, fresh discussions began on how the European Commission, European Parliament and EU Council, under the German presidency, can ease years of financial strain in the European Union. The time for these negotiations is extremely short, but they are almost as difficult as trying to negotiate a Brexit agreement with London, the publication emphasizes.
At stake is now the adoption of the EU budget for the next seven years, as well as the planned aid payments to countries particularly affected by the coronavirus pandemic. In total, we are talking about €1.8 trillion, including a €750 billion coronavirus recovery package.
The majority in the European Parliament warns that “The European Union is on the brink of an unprecedented and growing crisis of its core values that threatens its long-term survival as a democratic peace project”. MEPs complain that “in the last decade there have been shameless attacks against the values of the union in many member states’. In this regard, the deputies insist on the creation of “an objective and fact-based oversight mechanism”which should be linked to the ability to withhold funds in the EU treasury.
Political prescriptions related to the budget should be more effective than the disturbing actions taken so far against violators of the rule of law, said Slovakian liberal MP Michal Šimečka.
Another position is occupied by Germany, which presides over the Council of the EU, whose point of view was outlined in a letter to the experts of the European Parliament on the budget of the country’s permanent representative in the EU, Michael Klaus. according to him “Europe expects agreement between our institutions”. Klaus woos parliamentarians by promising to invest several billion euros more than originally planned in research programs. In addition, he announced his readiness for other concessions. As for cases related to the rule of law, Klaus spoke clearly and unequivocally: there cannot be a separate mechanism for financial sanctions in the understanding of the European Parliament based on existing treaties and agreements in the EU.
In this case, the representative of the foreign policy department in Brussels adheres to a real policy based on the facts: it is improbable or even completely impossible that the Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who is constantly criticized by European human rights activists, will support a mechanism in the Council of the EU. which could lead to severe sanctions for his country.
To find a way out of this dilemma, it remains only to rely on the political skills of von der Leyen and Merkel, Focus assures. The European Parliament is considered a pillar of democracy and the rule of law. For now, all proposals of Germany as the EU Council President to preserve the principle of legal statehood are considered for “soft as wax”emphasizes the German magazine.
Meanwhile, Hungary is not the only problem case. Poland is also suspected of trying to create “obedient” justice system in the country. Bulgaria, Romania, Malta, the Czech Republic and Slovakia constantly draw attention to themselves with accusations of corruption. “Taxpayers should be able to count on the fact that the money will be invested in European objectives and not flow down dark channels”– demanded the leader of the German Social Democrats in the European Parliament, Jens Geier.
Therefore, in the situation with financial aid for recovery from the coronavirus, the European Parliament also wants to have a voice: it seeks to monitor how wisely the funds are spent in general. According to CDU MEP and chair of the budget control committee Monika Hollmeier, the first concerns are already beginning to be confirmed: for example, among Italians’ wishes for help after the coronavirus, you can find everything, “from laptops to aquariums”.
In addition, mistrust arises when the same companies or the individuals behind them repeatedly appear as potential recipients of funds. This happens, for example, in the Czech Republic, Hollmeier notes. This is not always related to corruption – sometimes everything is explained by the fact that some entrepreneurs have more information about complex bureaucratic procedures than others. Hollmeier calls for situations where only certain limited circles would receive money, but this is exactly the phenomenon that is now common in the Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Romania, Italy and Spain.
In the negotiations between the European Commission, the European Parliament and the Council of the EU, Hollmeier foresees the danger that MPs will be put under pressure if their countries urgently need funds. MEP Moritz Körner from the Free Democratic Party of Germany confirms: “The council is now under enormous pressure.” At the same time, according to him, the European Parliament is not interested in stopping the payments, which are now urgently needed.
That is why the European institutions now have to play a difficult and risky game with such partners at the negotiating table as Viktor Orbán, and they, like the European Parliament, are able to undermine the EU budget, notes the German magazine Focus. However, according to Koerner, the Hungarian Prime Minister will not be too heated: “Orbán is a good player, but now he is also bluffing. There’s a lot of money at stake for him, too.”
Translation: M.Zhelyazkova
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