Poland, which led the way in dismantling the Soviet empire in the 1980s, was rewarded last week for its leadership in combating an authoritarian trend in Europe. The European Union's executive branch announced that Poland would immediately receive $148.5 billion in frozen EU funds after the country – led by young voters – took the first steps to restore a fundamental principle of democratic governance: equality in the rule of law before impartial judges.
“Poland is developing from a constitutional problem child into a champion of democracy,” said German Minister of State for Europe Anna Lührmann.
The EU had withheld the money owed to Poland because the previous government under the Law and Justice party (known by its Polish acronym PiS) had violated the separation of powers and undermined the independence of the judiciary. Since 2015, when the party won an election, it had changed the judicial selection process to put thousands of party loyalists on the bench.
The PiS lost power after an election last October in which turnout was 74%, the highest in over a century. “Polish citizens chose democracy and the rule of law on October 15,” Donald Tusk, the new prime minister, told reporters. “They are the true heroes of Polish history.”
Voters under the age of 29 in particular showed up. Their voter turnout was almost 69%, compared to 46% in 2019. Under the previous government, they had experienced an erosion of civil liberties, marked by greater inequality in judicial decisions.
“The outcome of October’s election should remind us that the decline of democracy is not inevitable and can be halted,” Patrice McMahon, a political science professor at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, wrote in The Conversation.
The new government coalition under Mr Tusk faces an uphill battle to clean up the Polish judiciary. The incumbent president, a PiS loyalist whose term ends next year, can veto measures passed by parliament. Nevertheless, the EU has enough confidence in the new government's initial reforms to begin releasing the bloc's promised funds to Poland.
“We are impressed by [the efforts] “It is a great concern of the Polish people to restore the rule of law as the backbone of their society,” said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. “A society in which everyone follows the rules.” A society in which people and companies can trust institutions and hold authorities accountable. Together we will protect the rule of law across Europe.”