The penalties imposed on Poland by EU tribunals during the PiS government are huge sums. In total, the penalties for the Disciplinary Chamber exceeded 557 million euros, and for the conflict with the Czech Republic over Turów – over 68 million. In total, this amounts to almost 2 billion 700 million złoty. However, the change of government itself did not stop the counter, because some cases are still not closed.
The EU court in Luxembourg is currently holding a trial that the PiS government has filed against the European Commission. It concerns the penalties that Brussels imposed on Poland for the activities of the Disciplinary Chamber of the Supreme Court. So we ask: what will the new government do with the complaint of the previous government? – We have decided to uphold this complaint – informs Adam Szłapka, Minister for European Union Affairs.
The PiS government filed a lawsuit in Brussels, hoping that the court would reduce the penalties imposed. However, PiS stubbornly claimed that the Disciplinary Chamber had not violated European law. So why is the new government upholding the complaint? – If there is even a slight chance that we will be able to recover at least some of the money that we lost because of PiS, then we have to use every such chance – explains Adam Szłapka.
READ ALSO: “Political victory of Donald Tusk”. Foreign media on the EC decision on Article 7
The bill issued to the previous government for matters related to the rule of law alone is hard to imagine. It was calculated by the Supreme Audit Office. In total, the penalties for the Disciplinary Chamber exceeded 557 million euros, and for the conflict with the Czech Republic over Turów – over 68 million. In total, this is almost 2 billion 700 million zlotys, which we lost only because the PiS government preferred to fight with the European Union.
– This is not about any warfare. This is about certain principles, according to which we have the right to reform the justice system without interference from external bodies – comments Szymon Szynkowski vel Sęk, former Minister for European Union Affairs, Law and Justice MP. PiS has been repeating this for years, but no European court has agreed with it, hence the penalties imposed.
– All changes that were made in the justice system violated European standards – says Michał Wawrykiewicz, who won a mandate to the European Parliament from the Civic Coalition list.
Repair of the rule of law has begunTVN24
Fines that we are still paying today
In addition to the judgments of the Court of Justice of the European Union, there are also compensations awarded by the Court of Human Rights for understudies in the Constitutional Tribunal, for neo-judges, for changes in the National Council of the Judiciary – for all of this the state has already had to pay hundreds of thousands of euros in compensation.
– The Polish authorities are obliged to pay the amounts of so-called fair compensation – points out Małgorzata Mączka-Pacholak, an attorney. – The Polish government introduced actions that cost not the government, but citizens 2.5 billion złoty – emphasizes Krzysztof Kwiatkowski, senator of the Civic Coalition.
This is a huge amount. More than the Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity has collected together in 32 years. – This is the effect of 8 years of Law and Justice in the Ministry of Justice or at the helm of governments – emphasizes Krzysztof Śmiszek, a politician of the Left, who won a mandate to the European Parliament.
PiS does not see its own fault. The new government is considering whether to sue the former prime minister and his ministers. – It is the duty of the State Treasury to take legal action to hold those who caused this to be held personally and financially liable – believes Michał Wawrykiewicz.
We are still paying for the failure of PiS to implement some EU solutions. It is 4 million euros and 50 thousand per day for not implementing the electronic communications directive and 7 million plus 40 thousand per day for not implementing solutions on whistleblowers. What the PiS government did not do, the new coalition must implement as soon as possible.
– Compensations, these just satisfactions, are paid by the Polish government, by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs from the state budget, i.e. all taxpayers in Poland – points out attorney Małgorzata Mączka-Pacholak.
Main image source: Shutterstock