The Legal Affairs Committee of the European Parliament (EP) plans to file a lawsuit against the European Commission (EC) with the European Court of Justice due to the fact that a new regulation on punishment for violations of the rule of law has not yet been applied to Poland and Hungary, DPA reports.
The European Union’s rule of law mechanism began operating in 2021. According to this provision, the EC can reduce the allocation of funds from the EU joint budget to those countries in which there is a threat of “misuse of money due to violations of the rule of law.”
The publication notes that the leadership of Hungary and Poland played ahead of the curve and were the first to appeal this procedure to the European Court. Currently, the EC is awaiting a court decision on the claims of Budapest and Warsaw.
“The restrictions on the fundamental rights and independence of the judiciary by the governments of Hungary and Poland pose a serious threat to the citizens of these countries, as well as to the supervision of EU funds allocated to governments,” said Sergei Lagodinsky, a spokesman for the EP’s legal committee.
European Parliament President David Sassoli may refer the claim to the European Court by November 2. Before that, the head of the EP has the right to initiate a vote on the inaction of the European Commission.