The European Commission stands with the tens of thousands of Poles who took to the streets last Sunday to protest the law on Russian influences. For Brussels, this measure violates the rule of law and “interferes with the democratic process”. This is the reason for the decision to initiate an infringement procedure against Warsaw, which is already under EU jurisdiction due to its rules of justice.
The law, which was challenged by the EU executive, which came into force on 31 May, provides for the creation of “a State Committee to study Russia’s influence on Poland’s internal security between 2007 and 2022”. Recalling the United States for the “communist influences” of the 1950s, this committee will be responsible for investigating possible crimes committed by Polish politicians in their dealings with Russia, and could ban them from public office for up to 10 years. who should be found guilty.
The measure, which has also been criticized internationally by the US and the European Union, is seen by PiS, the majority party and Giorgia Meloni’s close ally in Europe, as a way to silence opposition. One of the targets of the law would be opposition leader Donald Tusk, who served as prime minister from 2007 to 2014 and was the former president of the Council of Europe from 2014 to 2019. Poland signed a contract under his leadership. For gas supply with Russian Gazprom, which is mentioned in the official explanatory note of the bill. But then almost all European countries bought (some still do) gas from Vladimir Putin’s Russia.
According to the European Commission, the law, as formulated, violates various EU principles and laws, in particular the “democracy principle”. The committee’s activities “risk serious discrediting to electoral candidates and may limit the effectiveness of the political rights of those elected in democratic elections by detecting that a person is acting under Russian influence”. Brussels explains that the new law provides a very broad and vague definition for “Russian influence” and “activities”, and provides for criminal sanctions that “apply even to conduct that is lawful at the time of conduct”.
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Source: Today IT
Karen Clayton is a seasoned journalist and author at The Nation Update, with a focus on world news and current events. She has a background in international relations, which gives her a deep understanding of the political, economic and social factors that shape the global landscape. She writes about a wide range of topics, including conflicts, political upheavals, and economic trends, as well as humanitarian crisis and human rights issues.
