The European Commission cannot dictate laws to member states nor agree on bills with governments before they are adopted by national parliaments, social democrat MEP Robert Biedroń (S&D), quoting Commission Vice-President Frans Timmermans, while referring to the new Supreme Court bill.
The draft, which the Polish government said resulted from a compromise with the European Commission, could unfreeze some of the €35.4 billion in recovery and resilience funds the Commission has blocked over rule of law concerns, with Supreme Court reform being one of the major milestones.
“There is no such procedure in which the Commission can dictate laws to member states or approve drafts until adopted (…) This is what Timmermans told me via Messenger (app),” the MEP said after discussing the matter with the Commission vice-president who under the Juncker Commission was responsible for rule of law issues.
The Commission can only evaluate a law once it is incorporated into Polish law, Biedroń said, insisting that the government must prepare the draft bill itself and in accordance with the milestones agreed with the EU, as quoted by Wprost news outlet.
The Polish parliament will begin work on the new draft bill on Wednesday.
In a series of tweets published during the weekend, Justice Commissioner Didier Reynders called the draft “a promising step forward to achieve compliance with the commitments under the Polish Recovery and Resilience plan.”
The Commission’s press service has not yet replied to EURACTIV.pl’s request for comment regarding its involvement in preparing the draft bill, nor whether parliament adopting the bill would pave the way to releasing the recovery and resilience funds.
(Aleksandra Krzysztoszek | EURACTIV.pl)
Source: euractiv.com
