MEPS threaten to sue Von der Leyen to force hand over Poland dispute
MEPS have threatened to sue Ursula von der Leyen unless she follows through on threats to withhold tens of billions of euros in EU funding from Poland in a battle over the rule of law.
In an escalation of the dispute between Brussels and Warsaw, leaders from the European Parliament said they would launch legal action if the European Commission president refused to use the bloc’s “conditionality mechanism” to block funding to Poland.
Warsaw has infuriated the EU by refusing to override a decision by its constitutional court, which last month ruled that it has supremacy over the bloc’s laws.
The move by MEPS is an attempt to force Mrs Von der Leyen’s hand amid mounting fears the row could lead to the EU’S collapse.
EU leaders will today challenge the EC president to make good on her promises to withhold money or strip the country of its voting rights at a summit in Brussels. Ahead of the gathering, David Sassoli, the European Parliament’s president, announced the plans to sue Mrs Von der Leyen.
“EU Member States that violate the rule of law should not receive EU funds.
Last year, Parliament fought hard for a mechanism to ensure this. However, so far the EC has been reluctant to use it,” Mr Sassoli said.
“The European Union is a community built on the principles of democracy and the rule of law. If these are under threat in a member state, the EU must act to protect them.
“I have therefore asked our legal services to prepare a lawsuit against the Commission to ensure that EU rules are properly enforced.”
The move was agreed by political leaders from the Parliament, including an ally of France’s Emmanuel Macron. Stephane Sejourne, a French MEP who recently became the most senior liberal in the Parliament, said the legal action should be carried out “as soon as possible”. He condemned the EC for “failure to apply the rule of law conditionality mechanism against Poland”. “We need to act now for the freedoms and rights of Polish citizens,” he added.
Esther de Lange, a Dutch MEP and senior member of the European People’s Party, of which Mrs von der Leyen is a member, warned that the EU risked collapsing “brick by brick” unless Poland is brought back into line.
Poland stands to lose out on €57billion (£48billion) from the EU’S pandemic recovery fund.
European Council president Charles Michel agreed to address the rule-oflaw dispute at the gathering after initially attempting to keep it off the agenda, under orders from France and Germany. A senior EU diplomat said: “We cannot not address it because it is a very serious issue.”
The source, however, played down
‘We’re facing the biggest onslaught of challenges in our lifetime, there are many reasons the EU must act’
fears that Poland could become a “dirty remainer” by blocking EU legislation. They said: “We’re talking about 27 dirty remainers because every member state at some point has had issues.”
Ms de Lange said: “If we allow this foundation to be taken apart, country by country, brick by brick, the entire house we built of peace, of freedom, of opportunity, is in danger.”
Iratxe Garcia Perez, leader of the bloc of social democrat MEPS, warned the row threatened to endanger the EU. She said: “It shouldn’t continue to endanger the future of the European project. We’re facing the biggest onslaught of challenges in our lifetime, there are many reasons the EU must act urgently.”
Meanwhile, Jaroslaw Kaczynski, leader of Poland’s ruling Law and Justice party, has announced plans to introduce further reforms of the country’s judiciary system, which are expected to challenge the EU’S democratic values.