The EU executive decides to end the legal impasse with Poland over democracy issues

BRUSSELS – The European Union’s executive decided on Monday to end its 6-year dispute with member state Poland, saying Prime Minister Donald Tusk had initiated the changes needed to reverse what the bloc called the previous government’s backsliding on democratic principles. .

The EU’s decision to withdraw its case over rule of law complaints follows a decision in February to begin releasing billions of euros it had frozen in the dispute.

“Today marks a new chapter for Poland,” said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, calling the breakthrough the result of the country’s determined reform efforts. “The ongoing restoration of the rule of law in Poland is excellent for the Polish people and our union as a whole.”

The EU and Poland were at loggerheads after the stridently nationalist Law and Justice party came to power in 2015 and implemented reforms that critics say brought Poland’s judicial system under political control. The EU threatened to suspend Poland’s voting rights in the EU and blocked its access to EU funds.

Tusk has been working hard since taking office in December to repeal the measures.

Monday’s decision still needs to be presented to the EU’s 27 member states. It is unlikely to face fundamental objections.

Poland’s pro-European coalition of three center-left parties led by Tusk won parliamentary elections on October 15, succeeding the Law and Justice party, which also introduced changes to reproductive rights and the media that have put Poland on a increasingly on a collision course with the EU. .