EU commission to give clean bill of health for Polish rule of law

The European Commission said on Monday that it wants the European Union to end its long-standing legal action against Poland for rule of law violations.

The draft decision holds that Poland is addressing concerns about judicial independence, that it has "recognized the primacy of EU law" and is committed to implementing European court judgements concerning the rule of law.

The legal proceedings Poland has been facing could, in principle, lead to the suspension of its EU membership rights, though that has never happened to any EU country. The decision to end the procedure against Poland takes that prospect off the table.

EU member states' European affairs ministers will discuss the commission's assessment on May 21, after which the commission intends to formally withdraw the legal action.

"Today marks a new chapter for Poland," Commission President Ursula von der Leyen wrote on X, formerly Twitter. She said the change in Poland's status is "a result of hard work and determined reform efforts."

The commission initiated legal proceedings against Poland in 2017 on the grounds that the then-incumbent government, led by the nationalist Law and Justice Party (PiS), had compromised judicial independence.

The announcement that the commission wants to end the proceedings follows a reform plan proposed in February by Poland's new centrist government, led by former European Council president Donald Tusk.

Tusk's coalition defeated the PiS in a general election on October 15.

After the Polish government presented its plan, the commission decided on February 29 to overturn a 2022 decision that suspended Poland's access to significant portions of the EU budget, including the "cohesion" funds that support less-wealthy member states.