Portugal pledged to continue expeditions against Poland and Hungary

Portugal, which holds the EU presidency this semester, this Monday ratified its intention to continue litigation against Poland and Hungary over alleged rule of law violations. “The rule of law is one of the fundamental themes of the Portuguese presidency,” Portuguese Foreign Minister Augusto Santos Silva said Monday at the opening of a high-level conference on the rule of law in the EU, organized by the University of Coimbra.

The Minister referred to the cases of Poland and Hungary to underline Lisbon’s willingness to move forward in these processes, as has been the case in previous cases with investigations in other member states. Santos Silva recalled that the EU Treaty provides for preventive measures in the face of “a clear risk of serious violation of EU values” and sanctions for “serious and persistent violation”, as is the case in Poland and Hungary.

According to the minister, the rule of law “is everyone’s business, not a topic that one or the other should comment on. Belonging to the European Union is a prerequisite. ” According to Santos Silva, the 27 people should “explore together” the rule of law situation in each of the community partners.

The legal proceedings against Poland and Hungary have been postponed due to the pandemic, but the Portuguese presidency is confident that the matter will be brought before the General Affairs Council scheduled for late June. Hungary and Poland have appealed to the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) against a mechanism that makes the allocation of EU funds subject to the rule of law.

The Coimbra conference is also attended by the European Commissioner for Justice Didier Reynders, who at the opening of the conference stressed the role of civil society in building the rule of law. “Promoting the rule of law through civil society is a priority for the Commission because civil society is an important watchdog that can warn of threats to the rule of law,” he said.

The Commissioner also highlighted the role of the rule of law during the pandemic, as “rights could be preserved and security and health preserved”, calling for “comprehensive recovery”. The two-day conference will also be attended by President of the EU Court of Justice Cohen Lehnerts, President of the European Court of Human Rights Robert Ragnar Spano, academics and representatives of civil society.