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Poland, which was a pioneer in undermining the Soviet empire in the 1980s, was honored last week as a pioneer in rolling back authoritarian trends in Europe. The European Union’s executive branch announced that Poland would be frozen after the country took first steps to restore core principles of democratic governance, especially among young voters, namely equality in the rule of law before impartial judges. announced that it would begin receiving 148.5 billion dollars in EU funds.
“Poland is transforming from a problem child of the rule of law to a defender of democracy,” said Germany’s European Affairs Minister Anna Ruhlmann.
The funds owed to Poland were withheld by the EU because the previous government under the Law and Justice Party (known by its Polish acronym PiS) violated the separation of powers by eroding the independence of the judiciary. Ta. Since the party won elections in 2015, it has changed the process for selecting judges to put thousands of party supporters on the bench.
PiS lost power after last October’s elections, which had the highest turnout (74%) in more than 100 years. “Polish people chose democracy and the rule of law on October 15,” new Prime Minister Donald Tusk told reporters. “They are the true heroes of Polish history.”
Voters under the age of 29 were particularly notable. Voter turnout was nearly 69%, compared to 46% in 2019. Under the previous government, the country experienced violations of civil liberties marked by widening inequalities resulting from court decisions.
“The results of October’s election should serve as a reminder that democratic decline is not inevitable and can be stopped,” said Patrice McMahon, a political science professor at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. I wrote about it in The Conversation.
Mr. Tusk’s new coalition government faces an uphill battle to restore the integrity of Poland’s judiciary. The current president, a PiS supporter whose term ends next year, can veto any legislation passed by parliament. Still, the EU has enough faith in the new government’s initial reforms to begin releasing EU funds promised to Poland.
“We are impressed by the [the efforts] We appeal to the Polish people to restore the rule of law as the basis of society,” said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. “A society where everyone plays by the rules. A society where people and businesses can trust institutions and hold them to account. Together we will uphold the rule of law across Europe.”
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