The European Parliament criticizes the fact that the EU Commission has not yet used the new instrument to cut EU funds in the event of rule-of-law violations. Now there is movement in the matter.
The EU Commission wants to initiate the first proceedings in autumn that could lead to a reduction in EU funds for countries such as Hungary and Poland.
If it turns out that violations of the rule of law impaired the financial interests of the EU or threatened to seriously impair them, action would have to be taken, said Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Wednesday in the European Parliament. The investigation of relevant facts is already underway.
At the same time, von der Leyen made it clear that the European Court of Justice still has to rule on an objection lodged by Poland and Hungary against the sanctions instrument created last year before final decisions. That would then bring clarity for everyone, she said.
The European Parliament has been criticizing for months that the EU Commission has not yet used the new instrument to cut EU funds in the event of rule-of-law violations. Most recently, it has therefore already initiated proceedings against the EU Commission for a lawsuit for failure to act.
The move is intended to induce the authority to apply the so-called conditionality mechanism immediately. It provides that EU countries can reduce funds from the community budget if there is a threat of misuse of the funds due to violations of the rule of law.
Critics accuse both the Hungarian and Polish governments of exerting an influence on the judiciary that is incompatible with EU standards. They also see a threat to the EU budget because, as a rule, national law enforcement authorities and courts are responsible for investigating possible misuse of EU funds. Poland and Hungary reject the allegations.
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