FIDH and six other international NGOs warn of the human right situation in Poland and Hungary

30/05/2023
Open Letter
Valeria Mongelli / Hans Lucas / Hans Lucas via AFP

FIDH and six other international NGOs sent a letter to EU ministers ahead of the EU General Affairs Council’s meeting today, where Member states will hold hearings on the situation of the rule of law and human rights in Poland and Hungary under the Article 7.1 TEU procedure.

Paris, Warsaw, 30 May 2023. In the letter, the signatory organisations point to continued deterioration of the situation in both countries, which fails to comply with EU rule of law recommendations. In Poland, major concerns remain regarding e.g. judicial independence, new laws that risk undermining the work of civil society and the opposition’s ability to campaign for the elections, and gender rights.

FIDH and partners call on EU governments to take forward the Article 7.1 TEU procedure by adopting recommendations to Warsaw and Budapest and by holding a vote that would enable the Council to determine that there is a risk of a serious breach of EU law in Poland. They also urge ministers to refrain from releasing funds to Poland and Hungary until concerns are addressed.

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