MEPs want confidence vote in VDL over COVID cash decision for Poland

Three senior MEPs have known as for a vote of no confidence within the European Fee of President Ursula von der Leyen.

Members of Renew Europe mentioned on Monday that they’d draw up a movement after the Fee gave the inexperienced gentle to Poland’s COVID-19 restoration plan.

The bloc had initially withheld cash from Warsaw over the nation’s failures to uphold the rule of legislation, however then authorized Poland’s €35.4 billion restoration plan final week.

The announcement represented a truce in a protracted stand-off between Brussels and Poland over controversial judicial reforms.

However the u-turn generated criticism, together with from the liberal Renew Europe group within the European Parliament.

Senior figures within the political group say that Poland has nonetheless failed to completely defend the rule of legislation by reforming its disciplinary regime for judges.

The movement of no-confidence in von der Leyen was signed on Monday by the group’s vice-president Luis Garciano, Dutch MEP Sophie in’t Veld, and former Belgian Prime Minister Man Verhofstadt.

“We are going to withdraw our help … [if the Commission] continues to refuse to significantly apply the conditionality guidelines on the rule of legislation”, Verhofstadt mentioned.

“The Fee is absolutely conscious that the cures introduced by the Polish authorities are purely beauty,” he mentioned in a letter to Renew Europe members.

“Final week’s resolution of the Fee to approve the Polish restoration plan shouldn’t be in keeping with that process,” in’t Veld added in a assertion.

“The ‘milestones’ fall in need of what has been demanded by the European Courtroom of Justice, and they don’t tackle the refusal to recognise the primacy of EU legislation and the authority of the ECJ by the Polish authorities.”

“President Von der Leyen … has created a significant political downside,” the Dutch MEP wrote.

The movement of no confidence will first have to be signed by simply 10% of the 705-seat European Parliament earlier than it may be put to a vote.

However the movement of censure should then be authorized by a big two-thirds majority to oust the Fee.

Throughout inside deliberations about approving Poland’s restoration plan, 5 EU Commissioners voted towards or voiced reservations concerning the govt’s resolution.