EU Criticizes Poland's Lack of Progress in Rule-of-Law

The European Commission has criticized Poland for its lack of progress on judicial reforms, raising concerns about the independence of the Polish judiciary and noting that the country ignored most of the EU's recommendations from the previous year. The report comes at a crucial time as Poland's nationalist government faces a tightly contested election and ongoing disputes with Brussels over rule-of-law issues and a migrant relocation deal. The Commission called for the separation of the justice minister and the prosecutor-general, stricter lobbying and anti-corruption rules, and highlighted Hungary's similar challenges. Spain was also reprimanded for its lack of progress on recommendations. However, overall, the EU Vice-President for Values and Transparency stated that there has been no major backsliding in any EU country.