Dispute over Poland and Hungary: EU Parliament argues about von der Leyen’s salary

by time news
business Dispute over von der Leyen’s salary

“The proposal to freeze money is ridiculous”

EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has so far been reluctant to cut funds for Poland and Hungary EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has so far been reluctant to cut funds for Poland and Hungary

EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has so far been reluctant to cut funds for Poland and Hungary

Quelle: Getty Images

The FDP parliamentary group wants to freeze the money for the Commission President and close employees. The parliamentarians are calling for tough action against Poland and Hungary. The politician is now being defended by her own party – and warns of the parliament’s loss of reputation.

IA dispute has broken out in the European Parliament over how much pressure Members can and should put on Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, in order to achieve political goals. It is about dealing with EU member states such as Hungary or Poland, which systematically violate the principles of the rule of law.

The proposal from the FDP group in Parliament to freeze the salaries of von der Leyens and her closest employees so that the Commission can act quickly against constitutional violators such as Hungary and Poland is now causing outrage in the Commission President’s party family. “The proposal to freeze money for the Commission President’s cabinet is ridiculous. That is not legally possible,” says Monika Hohlmeier (CSU), Chairwoman of the Budget Control Committee in the European Parliament.

“The European Parliament cannot freeze parts of the budget or salaries at will. Such a thing is only possible after massive misconduct. The FDP is not doing the reputation of the European Parliament any favors if it calls for the rule of law, but itself calls for breaking the law.”

also read

Mateusz Morawiecki (left) and Viktor Orban (middle) are in dispute with the EU Commission of President Ursula von der Leyen

Parliament sues EU Commission

Moritz Körner, the budgetary spokesman for the FDP group in the EU Parliament, wants to ensure that the funds earmarked for von der Leyen and her cabinet are frozen during the budget deliberations for 2023 until the Commission has completed the rule of law mechanism triggered. WELT AM SONNTAG had reported on the project.

Since the beginning of last year, the EU Commission has been able to block EU funds for the states concerned if there is a risk that this money will not be spent properly due to the precarious constitutional situation. Before using the agency, however, wants to wait for a judgment from the European Court of Justice. On Wednesday, the court will rule on whether the Commission can use the new rule of law mechanism and possibly also provide indications of how it should look in practice in order to be court-proof.

also read

PiS boss Jaroslaw Kaczynski knows that he has to approach the Commission and Ursula von der Leyen when it comes to the rule of law

Hohlmeier therefore advocates patience with the Commission President. “The rule of law mechanism is important, and if the Commission uses it, it must be solid,” said the CSU politician WELT. “Hungary and Poland will sue immediately if the Commission appoints him, and the Commission must not lose these court cases. Otherwise the whole mechanism is permanently damaged and it becomes all the more difficult to use it again.”

With the forthcoming pronouncement of judgment, another hurdle for the application will fall. “We then expect prompt and consistent action from the Commission. However, Orbán and Morawiecki have been walking around on our noses for so long that a few days or weeks no longer matters,” Hohlmeier continued.

You can listen to our WELT podcasts here

We use the player from the provider Podigee for our WELT podcasts. In order for you to be able to see the podcast player and to interact with or display content from Podigee and other social networks, we need your consent.

“Everything on shares” is the daily stock exchange shot from the WELT business editorial team. Every morning from 7 a.m. with our financial journalists. For stock market experts and beginners. Subscribe to the podcast at Spotify, Apple Podcast, Amazon Music and Deezer. Or directly by RSS-Feed.

You may also like

Leave a Comment