European Commission launches case against Poland over 'Russian influence' panel

The European Commission on Wednesday (June 7) launched a legal action against Poland over its creation of a controversial body investigating "Russian influence". The move is widely seen as targeting the opposition.

In a letter, which will be sent on Thursday, Valdis Dombrovskis, the European Commission's executive vice-president, said: "The College (of Commissioners) agreed to start an infringement procedure by sending a letter of formal notice in relation to the new law on the state committee for examination of Russian influence."

Dombrovskis also said that the commission had "agreed to start an infringement procedure by sending a letter of formal notice" to Warsaw, a neighbour and staunch ally of Ukraine, which is battling Russia's invasion.

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This comes after Poland created a committee aimed at probing citizens who may have succumbed to Russian influence. Last week, Polish President Andrzej Duda saidthat he would propose amending the law on the panel after criticism from the EU's executive and the United States.

The Polish government, which is led by the hard-right Law and Justice party (PiS), claimed that the committee is necessary to strengthen the country's "cohesion and internal security" in the aftermath of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

A government spokesperson told Euronews last week that "the scale of Russian influence on the functioning of the Republic of Poland is still not fully explored". The spokesperson insisted that the committee "shall not have the power to deprive anyone of their public rights".

Reports have mentioned that the law would enable the authorities to impose a ban of 10 years from public positions, relating to public finances and classified information, on those who are found guilty.

However, the critics argued that the move would be used to target opposition leader Donald Tusk as the governing conservatives introduced it just months before parliamentary elections.

The opposition party raised concerns over its suspected aim and has even gone so far as to dub it the "Lex Tusk", or Tusk Law.

The European Union said on Tuesday that it had "special concern" over the committee while the United States said the legislation "could be used to block the candidacy of opposition politicians without due process".

As quoted by Euronews, Iustitia, one of the main judges' associations in Poland, said that the law "grossly violates the constitutional principles of a democratic state of law, the tripartite separation of powers and independence of the judiciary, and the presumption of innocence. It is anti-democratic and anti-EU".

"The transfer of the competence to determine the responsibility from an independent court to a quasi-administrative political body, equipped with oppressive repressive measures, is another step towards an authoritarian state," it added.

(With inputs from agencies)

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