RULE OF LAW OVERSHADOWS SUMMIT

EU LEADERS ARE HOPING TO RESOLVE AN IMPASSE THAT IS HOLDING UP AGREEMENT ON THE BLOC’S €1.85 TRILLION BUDGET AND CORONAVIRUS RECOVERY PLAN

Agreement on the massive fiscal package is being blocked by Poland and Hungary, both big recipients of EU subsidies but whose prime ministers accuse the EU of “blackmail.” Both object to future EU funds being linked to the so-called rule of law mechanism that binds Member States to respecting the rule of law. Ahead of the 19 November virtual summit of EU leaders, intense pressure was growing from various quarters on the two Member States to back down and allow the package to be swiftly agreed so that “much needed” funds can be dispersed to Member States to help them tackle the crippling impact of the Coronavirus crisis.

Parliament’s President David Sassoli and group leaders met to discuss the crisis on 18 November and later issued a statement which read, “We ask the council to adopt the package and begin the ratification process as soon as possible. Parliament’s leadership deeply regrets this delay and reiterates that the agreements reached [on both the MFF and the rule of law] are a closed deal and can in no way be reopened. No further concession will be made on our side.” EPP leader

Manfred Weber added that the rule of law clause in the package was a “red line” for the EU. He said, “How can we make further compromises on the independence of the judiciary and free media? The current result is already a compromise between Parliament and 25 EU states. The EU must not be allowed to lose its core values.”

Both Poland and Hungary have robustly hit back at the chorus of criticism, with Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki saying, “The rule of law and breaking the rule of law have become a propaganda stick in the EU. We reject this position. We know from Communist times the use of these propaganda sticks. We say a loud ‘yes’ to the EU but we say a loud ‘no’ to various mechanisms that chasten us like children and treat Poland and other EU Member States unequally.” A similar angry riposte came from Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who said, “Once this proposal gets adopted, there will be no more obstacles to tying Member States’ share of common funds to supporting migration and using financial means to blackmail countries which oppose migration.”