Brussels, Sept. 6, (dpa/GNA) – The approval of Poland and Hungary’s EU pandemic stimulus spending plans is being held up at least in part by concerns about the rule of law, a top European Union official confirmed on Monday.
With regard to Poland, an upcoming Constitutional Tribunal ruling on clashes between EU legal norms and the Polish constitution was also part of discussions, European Commission Vice-President Valdis Dombrovskis said following talks with EU finance ministers.
“Indeed, we are also looking at this issue of the primacy of EU law and the potential implications for the Polish [plan]” Dombrovskis said at a press conference, adding that EU officials were in “constant contact” with Warsaw on the matter.
Warsaw and Budapest submitted their spending plans in May, kicking off a two-month review period that the EU executive branch pushed to extend, asking for revisions rather than rejecting the plans.
Brussels has for years been at loggerheads with both countries over what it sees as the chipping away of core EU principles like judicial independence and press freedom.
Previously more cautious, Dombrovskis said openly Monday that discussions about basic EU standards were also part of the hold-up with regard to Hungary.
Budapest accuses Brussels of illegitimately withholding its approval because of a new law restricting young people’s access to information about non-heterosexual ways of living.
The commission has not officially linked its review of the plan with Hungary’s bill. EU sources said previously that the preoccupations relate to a lack of assurances against the misuse of money.
GNA