Due to controversial law: EU starts new procedure against Poland

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The decision was taken on Wednesday, EU Commission Vice-President Valdis Dombrovskis said in Brussels.

In concrete terms, the Polish law is about a commission of inquiry that must investigate whether government officials took decisions under Russian influence between 2007 and 2022 that harmed the country’s security. Critics fear the law could serve to discredit or even ban opposition politician Donald Tusk from political life ahead of the fall general election.

At the end of a so-called infringement procedure, a complaint can be lodged with the European Court of Justice and a fine can be imposed. The EU commission wants to send a letter to Poland on Thursday detailing the allegations, and Warsaw will then have two months to respond.

In its original form, the law provided that the nine-member Commission of Inquiry could impose fines and a ban of office for up to ten years. However, after heavy criticism from the EU and the US, President Andrzej Duda had already proposed changes. In the new version, the body would now only have to determine “that a person who has acted under Russian influence cannot guarantee that the public interest will be properly served”.

Critics accuse the national-conservative PiS government of trying to discredit former head of government and current opposition leader Tusk before parliamentary elections in the autumn. The liberal-conservative Tusk was the head of the Polish government from 2007 to 2014 and later the president of the EU. The PiS government accuses him of making unfavorable gas contracts with Russia. Tusk is considered the biggest political opponent of PiS boss Jaroslaw Kaczynski.

(SDA)

Source: Blick