Restoring the Rule of Law
Poland has become a real-time laboratory of rule of law restoration. The new government is faced with the fundamental question of how to tackle undemocratic reforms with legitimate, democratic measures. Avoiding obstruction by the affiliates of the outgoing regime and suppressing the desire for retribution by the injured parties presents the biggest challenge. Yet, the Polish government has a rare occasion to lead by example on how to solve the rule of law crisis not only by legal, but also political means.
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The Winding Road To The Mountaintop
In the Rule of Law in Poland Action Plan, the Polish government outlined its approach to restoring the rule of law in the country. It might have been a good starting point for developing the concept of restoring the rule of law. However, it remains unsatisfying that, after so many years of discussing the collapse of the rule of law, more elaborate ideas for its restoration were not put on the table, and the Action Plan lacks concrete proposals.
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The 2025 Polish Presidency of the Council
Poland’s 2025 Presidency of the Council of the EU arrives at a moment of political turbulence and high stakes, with security as its flagship theme. This short period will see the return of Donald Trump, the volatile German snap parliamentary election, and the buildup to Poland's own presidential election. While Poland’s government promises a fresh, value-driven approach, its own challenges in fully restoring the rule of law and balancing pragmatism with EU ideals may temper its ambitions.
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Clash of Prosecutors
In Kroatien spielt sich ein bislang beispielloser Konflikt zwischen der kroatischen Staatsanwaltschaft und der erst 2021 eingeführten Europäischen Staatsanwaltschaft (EUStA) ab, nachdem unter anderem der Gesundheitsminister, Vili Beroš, wegen eines Korruptionsskandals festgenommen wurde. Der Konflikt gipfelte in einem Schreiben an die Kommission, in dem die EUStA systematische Rechtsstaatsdefizite anprangert und sie zum Einschreiten auffordert. Insgesamt wird deutlich, dass sich die EU in Kroatien derzeit, insbesondere durch die Arbeit der EUStA, neue Legitimität erarbeitet, weil sie aktiv gegen Korruption vorgeht.
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Eiltransport gegen Eilrechtsschutz
Mit der Auslieferung von Maja T. nach Ungarn zur Strafverfolgung hat die Generalstaatsanwaltschaft Berlin Fakten geschaffen, die sie nicht mehr rückgängig machen kann. Die einstweilige Anordnung des Bundesverfassungsgerichts, nicht auszuliefern, kam zwar schnell, lief aber ins Leere, weil die Polizei Maja T. schon ins Ausland verbracht hatte. Die Feststellung der Generalstaatsanwaltschaft, man könne außerhalb des deutschen Staatsgebiets nichts mehr für Maja T. tun, ist blanker Hohn. Ihr Vorgehen ist mit Blick auf die Rolle und Rechtsprechung des Bundesverfassungsgerichts in Auslieferungsverfahren rechtsstaatswidrig, weil es gegen das Prinzip der Gewaltenteilung verstößt.
Continue reading >>Militant Rule of Law
To protect the rule of law based legal system against abusive use of the loopholes, imperfections, contradictions of the law, to avoid legal inertia legal positivist arguments are needed to convince and mobilize the legal mind. The same applies when the blind fortune of democracy provides the opportunity to erase the legally enthroned injustice and domination of illiberal regimes. When it comes to legal enactments that serve legal cheating the rule of law must respond to systemic abuse of the law, and that requires and justifies a rule of law based exceptionalism and a systemic remedy.
Continue reading >>Defusing an Atomic Bomb
The sigh of relief was audible throughout Europe. In Brussels and other European capitals, the victory of the opposition bloc in the Polish elections sparked hope that the imminent change in government would end the illiberal course of the past. While years of democratic backsliding have left lasting marks on Poland’s political and legal landscape, the newly elected government is clearly committed to leading Poland back onto the path of democracy and the rule of law. However, one pertinent institutional issue remains to be resolved: the still pending procedure against Poland under Art 7 TEU.
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