Page 51 - bne magazine July 2022_20220704

bne July 2022 Central Europe I 51
– energy security, supply chains – at
a time when we have literally started
to breathe again after COVID-19. It
is therefore our fundamental duty to ensure Europe's strategic resilience in all these areas. Food security for citizens, for example, should remain a certainty. The availability of strategic materials and products, such as medicines and other things, should be a priority," he explained.
He also noted that the EU member states are likely to discuss a solidarity fund
for Ukraine's post-war reconstruction, which is an idea promoted by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
In the energy area, Czechia will focus
on the Repower EU package, which opens the way to joint gas purchases and the completion of the energy system.
In terms of strengthening European defence capabilities, the key issues for
a discussion within the EU are to be cyber security and the security of supply chains in the field of ICT.
As for the strategic resilience of the European economy, Czechia plans to shift the discussion from strategic autonomy carried out by the current French presidency towards a certain degree of openness to countries with similar values, the minister said. The Czech presidency, and the Swedish presidency which is to follow, are expected to help unfreeze negotiations on trade treaties with,
for example, New Zealand, Australia, Mexico and Latin America. "The loss of opportunities in Russia must be balanced by opening up new opportunities in other parts of the world," Bek said.
Czechia will also deal with the European Commission's proposal on media pluralism and will moderate a debate on the rule of law. "We will also be raising
other topics in the area of the rule of law, such as the prosecution of war crimes," the minister explained.
According to the PM, all the areas include the long-term strategic interests and priorities of the Czech Republic and the values that the Czech Republic has long held and is proud of. "Together with our European partners, during our six months at the helm of the European Union, we will strive to be stronger together and to use our strength to the benefit of those who need it," he noted.
"Our unique historical experience with the Russian occupation has taught us that we can face difficult moments, help each other and stand up for what is right. After three years of preparation, we will take on this task with confidence and with the knowledge that we are responsible for the outcome," Fiala added.
Brussels to release recovery fund cash for Poland despite doubts over rule of law reform
Wojciech Kosc in Warsaw
The European Commission official- ly approved Poland’s plans to use the bloc’s recovery fund on June 1, and will release a total of €36bn to help the economy rebuild after the pandemic once Poland fulfils certain milestones the EU executive has set out.
The decision, which had taken more than a year, could end a political row over the rule of law in Poland, which Brussels said had been endangered
by the government’s reforms of the judiciary. The European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will formally announce the decision during her visit to Warsaw on June 2. Member states still have to vote on the decision.
Poland recently passed changes to address Brussels’ grievances, which centred on the disciplinary regime for judges. According to the Commission,
new rules for disciplining judges violated the basic principles of the rule of law.
Armed with rulings of the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU), which said that the disciplinary regime compromised judges’ independence and impartiality, the Commission tied pay- outs from the recovery fund to Poland fixing the flaws. Poland was also fined
a hefty €1mn a day for failing to end or overhaul the disciplinary regime.
As inflation hit the Polish economy, followed by the fallout of the war in Ukraine, Warsaw became more will- ing to compromise, as billions from the recovery fund offered a way of easing the expected economic slowdown in 2023, the election year.
After weeks of political haggling inside Poland’s ruling coalition of the Law and
Justice (PiS) party and United Poland, the parliament passed tweaks to the disciplinary regime, as proposed by President Andrzej Duda.
By voting through the proposal by Duda, the Polish parliament dismantled the Disciplinary Chamber of the Supreme Court, one of the milestones that Brussels demanded Poland met to unlock the funds.
The Commission argued that judicial appointments to the controversial body did not meet the criteria of impartiality and independence from the government. The chamber could in effect target judges critical of the authorities and some judges were in fact suspended. Reinstating them is another of the milestones set by the Commission. Duda’s proposal establishes a new body, the Chamber of Professional Accountability.
www.bne.eu