‘EU member states that violate the rule of law should not receive EU funds’ Sassoli

The President of the European Parliament David Sassoli has today (20 October) contacted the legal services of the European Parliament to prepare a lawsuit against the European Commission for its failure to apply the Conditionality Regulation, which came into force on 1 January 202.

The regulation, which was adopted last December, allows the EU to suspend payments from the EU budget to member states in which the rule of law is under threat.

The letter from the President to the legal services of the Parliament comes after a vote in the Parliament’s legal affairs committee that recommended bringing proceedings before the Court of Justice. A majority of political group leaders in today’s Conference of Presidents supported this action. The vote came after a debate in the Parliament where the Polish Prime Minister spoke for thirty five minutes defending the recent ruling of the Polish  unconstitutionally constituted Constitutional Tribunal. 

The letter makes clear that Parliament will withdraw this legal proceeding if the Commission takes the necessary measures. Speaking after the meeting of political group leaders in the Parliament, President Sassoli said:

“EU Member States that violate the rule of law should not receive EU funds. Last year, Parliament fought hard for a mechanism to ensure this. However, so far the European Commission has been reluctant to use it.

“The European Union is a community built on the principles of democracy and the rule of law. If these are under threat in a member state, the EU must act to protect them. I have therefore asked our legal services to prepare a lawsuit against the Commission to ensure that EU rules are properly enforced."

This measure comes a day ahead of the European Council where heads of government will discuss the situation in Poland. Some countries have resisted the efforts to place this issue on the agenda, saying that it is a matter for the European Commission, others, such as the Benelux (Luxembourg, Belgium and the Netherlands) have taken a stronger position. Sassoli himself will not be able to attend the European Council, as he usually does, as he is recovering from an illness. Instead his opening remarks will be delivered and distributed to the heads of government.

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