Fidesz official slams EU for ignoring Poland’s violations — While echoing her own government’s actions
Leaders of the European Union are “silent about violations of the law in Poland” and “apply double standards for conservative governments”, Boglárka Bólya, ministerial commissioner at Hungary’s European affairs ministry, said in Warsaw on Thursday, adding that “Brussels seeks to introduce the Tusk model in Hungary, too.”
Bólya visited Poland as a member of the Freedom and Democracy Committee of the Patriots for Europe group, with the aim of probing Poland’s government measures and talking to all impacted parties.
“The Tusk government uses the rule of law to dismantle the rule of law,” Bólya said, adding that the Polish measures raised “serious concerns” in terms of “respect for the rule of law, uninterrupted operations of democratic institutions, independence of the judiciary, as well as promoting the freedom of speech and pluralism of the media.”
The commissioner said she had received reports “depicting a frightening and dark picture” of the situation in Poland. “It appears that the Tusk government in working to build an anti-constitutional and anti-democratic regime, intimidating patriotic, sovereigntist forces by way of methods from communist times,” she said.
Bólya said the EU institutions’ “spectacular silence” was “shocking”, adding that “Brussels would not launch a probe and threaten the Tusk government with financial sanctions as it had done at the time of the previous, conservative [Polish] government.”
“Thus using double standards will undermine the credibility of EU institutions and give the impression that protecting the rule of law is but a political, ideological weapon for the Brussels elite,” she said.
Concerning the Polish government’s measures that “speak for themselves”, the commissioner mentioned a “campaign” against judges and public prosecutors starting in 2023, and the removal of the chief public prosecutor, which Poland’s top courts had condemned. “But the Polish government ignores some rulings of the constitutional and supreme courts, and governs in disregard of their recommendations,” she insisted.
Bólya mentioned Marcin Romanowski, a former deputy justice minister, who was detained despite his immunity before he sought political asylum in Hungary. The commissioner also added that the incumbent Polish government had “forcefully and illegally taken over the state media”.
“Illegally taking over state media”?
Note: In Hungary, most of the state media is controlled by the ruling Fidesz party. Read more HERE and HERE. As of recent years, the government is believed to influence:
- Around half of national daily papers, plus significant portions of weekly magazines and online media
- 93% of the radio market
- 52% of evening television news bulletins
- 100% of regional daily newspapers
(Source)
Read more about Poland-Hungary relations on Daily News Hungary!
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