Home POLITICS Poland takes EU Commission to court over €400 million fine

Poland takes EU Commission to court over €400 million fine

Poland has filed a complaint against the European Commission to the EU's highest court over a daily fine of €1 million that is at the centre of the country’s dispute over sweeping changes in the judiciary.

by gary cartwright
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The Polish government believes that the fine, which has risen to more than €400 million, should be cancelled because it has complied with an order from the EU’s highest court to dissolve the so-called disciplinary chamber for judges, said European Affairs Minister Szymon Szynkowski vel Sęk.

The move marks a new escalation of tensions between Poland and the EU over disagreements over the rule of law. Moreover, it is also linked to the fact that disagreements within the ruling coalition are preventing the government from implementing the agreement it reached with Brussels, which will pave the way for the allocation of 35.4 billion euros in post-pandemic aid.

Last month, Poland asked the commission to suspend the fine from July 15 after parliament passed amendments replacing the contested disciplinary mechanism with a new chamber.

The government refused to pay the fine, which had been piling up since last November. In response, the European Commission has periodically cut the amount due from payments Poland receives from the bloc’s budget.

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