On Friday 19 January, the European Commissioner for Justice, Didier Reynders, welcomed the efforts of the new Polish government to restore the rule of law (see EUROPE 13332/26). On Monday 22 January, the European Commission confirmed that a review of the institutional reforms announced by Warsaw was underway.
Poland presented its achievements to the Commission on Wednesday 17 January. The Commission now has three months to check whether Warsaw is in fact complying with the conditions governed by the Regulation on conditionality linked to the rule of law.
A total of €76 billion in cohesion funds could be released by the Union, particularly if the independence of the judicial system is restored.
The Commission gave assurances that it would verify the correct application of the “horizontal principles” in the Polish reforms, in particular with regard to the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, and that the analyses concerned the Polish policy framework in the areas of transport and health.
Appointed Prime Minister following the recent elections in Poland, the former President of the European Council, Donald Tusk, promised to take the issue of the rule of law “very seriously” last December (see EUROPE 13315/7). (Original version in French by Bernard Denuit)