“Today begins a new chapter for Poland.” The European Commission announces that it is waiving sanctions for violating the rule of law

The European Commission has announced that it will close the sanctioning procedure against Poland for violating the principles of the rule of law, as the government of Donald Tusk has taken real steps towards eliminating the counter-reforms made by the previous reactionary government, The Guardian reports.

In an announcement on Monday, the European executive said that it no longer sees “a clear risk of the deterioration of the rule of law in Poland” and that it intends to deactivate Article 7 and stop the procedure that could have led to Poland’s loss of the right to vote in the European institutions.

“Today begins a new chapter for Poland,” said Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission. She congratulated Donald Tusk and his government on “this achievement”.

“The ongoing restoration of the rule of law in Poland is a great thing for the Polish people and for our union as a whole,” said the head of the Commission.

The Tusk government published, in February, an action plan aimed at restoring the independence of the judiciary, severely affected by the policies of the former government, but also to stop the prolonged conflict with the European Union.

Based on this plan, members of Poland’s national judicial council will be elected by their peers in a secret ballot to stop political interference, steps will be taken to establish the independence of Poland’s Supreme Court, and Polish judges will no longer be subject to disciplinary investigation for complying with European law.

On Monday, the Commission said that the “first concrete steps” taken by Poland to implement the plan and the recognition that there were serious deficiencies in the rule of law showed that there was no longer a serious threat to the rule of law.

“Good news from Brussels today! We thank President Von der Leyen for his cooperation and support. We are determined and devoted to our common European values,” Polish Justice Minister Adam Bodnar wrote on Twitter.

Editor: Adrian Dumitru

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