On Thursday 6 February, the members of the European Parliament’s Committee on Civil Liberties paid tribute to Poland’s Minister of Justice, Adam Bodnar, for the efforts made by his government, that of Donald Tusk, to restore the rule of law in the country after years of disputes with the European Commission and as many infringement proceedings and convictions before the Court of Justice of the EU.
The Minister was invited by Parliament to present the priorities of the Polish Presidency of the Council of the EU, and the debate focused mainly on issues relating to the rule of law, but also on the fight against corruption, at a time when trilogues between the Council of the EU and Parliament began on 30 January, on the ‘anti-corruption’ directive.
But Adam Bodnar has also come in for fierce criticism from members of the Polish PiS, who have in turn accused him of undermining the rule of law in Poland by calling into question the previous government’s reforms.
In a sometimes electric atmosphere, the minister’s presence was also an opportunity for some MEPs, particularly Spanish EPP members, to attack their own government and denounce a general assault on the rule of law in Spain, as Juan Ignacio Zoido (EPP) put it.
In any case, Minister Bodnar told the elected representatives that “restoring the rule of law is one of the priorities of our Presidency. We know that it’s not easy to reverse trends”, but the Minister promised to strengthen existing mechanisms, praising, for example, the European Commission’s annual reports on the rule of law “which enable debates to take place at the General Affairs Council”.
Mr Bodnar also placed great emphasis on defending “the role of civil society; we are going to give it particular importance; without it, it would not be possible to organise this fight for the rule of law”.
The Minister expressed his hope that EU Council conclusions on the role of civil society in the rule of law could be adopted. With regard to Hungary and the ‘Article 7’ procedure, he also pointed out that a hearing would be held in May. (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)