Three members of the Renew group (liberals in the European Parliament) called Monday for a motion to censure the Von der Leyen Commission. This was to reproach it for giving its approval to the Polish recovery plan despite Warsaw’s failures on the state of right.
For the text against the executive European Union to be put to the plenary vote, it must first get the signatures at least one tenth (i.e. 70 parliamentarians).
Guy Verhofstadt stated that Ursula von der Leyen (President of the European Commission) “continues not to seriously apply rules of conditionality upon the rule of law”, which aim at requiring the strict respect of fundamental rights by Member States in order to disburse European funds, and “we are withdrawing support”.
Wednesday’s decision by the Commission was to approve the Polish recovery plan for 35.4 billion euro, which had been blocked for over a year due to inconsistencies in Warsaw regarding judicial independence.
Renew’s leaders consider Warsaw’s announcements inadequate. This includes the lifting of suspension for a judge, and the vote by the Polish Parliament to abolish the disciplinary chamber that was supposed to supervise judges.
The Commission’s conditions “fall short of what was required by the European Court of Justice(CJEU) and do not respond the refusal of Polish authorities to recognize EU law as the primary law”, while Warsaw “shows little intention to fully restore independence of judiciary”, Sophie in’t Veld says, accusing Ursula von der Leyen of creating a “major political problem”.
Two heavyweights of Europe’s executive were elected to the Commission during the vote, the Dane Margrethe vestager (Renew Europe, centerist) and Frans Timmermans, the Dutchman.
Guy Verhofstadt, a member of AFP’s political advisory board, wrote indignantly that “the Commission is aware” that the Polish authorities have announced solutions that are purely cosmetic.
A motion of censure must receive approval by at least two-thirds vote cast in order to be adopted in Parliament. Contacted officials and spokespersons from different groups (Greens. S).
Iratxe Garcia Perez is president of S
