On Monday 30 November, MEPs expressed their exasperation and concern that the European Commission and Member States have so far been unable to make progress on the “Article 7” procedures relating to the Rule of law in Poland and Hungary.
While the two countries today blocked the mechanism linking the Rule of law and the European budget, MEPs denounced the fact that representatives of the German Presidency of the EU Council and representatives of the two governments in question were absent from the debate.
“I’m tired of always discussing the same things while the EU Council does absolutely nothing!”, said Sophie in’ t Veld (Renew Europe, the Netherlands). “We can’t accept any more toolkits (on the Rule of law); we need real changes” in these two countries, thundered Swedish MEP Malin Björk (GUE/NGL).
Gwendoline Delbos-Corfield (Greens/EFA, France) also expressed her disappointment and concern that the hearings planned by the German Presidency for these two countries cannot take place in December as a result of the video-conference format. “If Germany has done nothing for six months, one has to wonder what the next Presidencies will do”, she said, expressing her concern that Warsaw and Budapest do not comply with EU Court of Justice judgments. In her opinion, Germany’s silence on these two ‘Article 7’ procedures during its Presidency of the EU Council “sends out a very bad signal”.
The “Hungarian and Polish vetoes” also prove that these two countries “are not afraid of anything”, added Ms Delbos-Corfield, who is responsible for the report on the Article 7 procedure concerning Hungary.
EU Justice Commissioner Didier Reynders did not manage to reassure MEPs, confirming to them that he had “no positive developments” to report on the situation regarding Rule of law in the two countries.
LGBTI. Following this, the MEPs also discussed the situation of LGBTI people in both countries in the presence of the European Commissioner Helena Dalli, who presented the recent European Commission strategy regarding fundamental rights (see EUROPE 12600/23). They denounced the violations of the rights of these people, something which reflects the authoritarian tendencies of the Polish and Hungarian governments. Malin Björk denounced the attacks on “the rights of women to abortion and those of LGBTI people”.
These numerous concerns were dismissed by Polish MEP Beate Kempa of the PiS party, who spoke of “increases in homophobic acts in France or Germany” and other member states and challenged her government’s targeting of the LGBTI population.
“Yes, homophobic acts do take place in France, the Netherlands and other countries. But these countries are striving to try and develop equality strategies and Poland is not doing so”, replied Commissioner Dalli. (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)