Poland facing EU investigation into whether media laws breach rules on democracy

'Our aim is to solve these issues, our aim is not to accuse,' says Commission’s Vice President Frans Timmermans

Poland's Prime Minister Beata Szydlo speaks during news conference in Warsaw (Reuters)

The Polish government’s fractious relations with the European Union has worsened after the European Commission said it would investigate whether the country’s new laws breach the bloc’s rules on democracy and the rule of law.

The move is the first step in a process that could lead to sanctions against Poland’s new nationalist government for failing to live up to its commitments on free media and impartial courts. The Commission’s Vice President Frans Timmermans said in Brussels a “preliminary assessment” would be launched under the “rule of law” mechanism. “Our aim is to solve these issues, our aim is not to accuse,” Mr Timmermans said, adding that the Commission wanted to “start a dialogue with Polish authorities”.

The Prime Minister Beata Szydlo denied her government had violated democratic norms. She said in Warsaw: “I will fight for Poland’s good name.” Poland’s Law and Justice Party, which won a majority in last October’s election, has pushed through drastic reforms, asserting political control over the high court and public broadcaster.

Earlier this week, Poland’s Justice Minister Zbigniew Ziobro bemoaned the “unjustified accusations and unfair conclusions” about the new laws, while dismissing Mr Timmermans for being “of left-wing persuasion”.

The row comes as government politicians and media have invoked Nazi imagery to lambast their critics. This week’s cover of Wprost magazine depicts the German Chancellor Angela Merkel and other European politicians in Nazi uniforms under the headline “These people want to control Poland again”. If the alleged media curbs are confirmed, Poland could find itself thrown out of the Eurovision Song Contest: the European Broadcasting Union said it was monitoring changes to Poland’s media laws.