🇪🇺⚖️💶🇵🇱 Right on time: the Brussels-Warsaw rule of law clash is (mostly) over. The Commission unlocks the 137b EUR of Polish RRF and cohesion funds, and I have never had more mixed feelings about something in this job before. 1/

One thing to remember: at stake here were matters related to disciplinary proceedings against judges and monitoring fundamental rights. Other areas of PL rule of law crisis were tackled in separate procedures - Art. 7 (soon to go away, too) and infringement cases at CJEU. 2/

*press X to doubt.jpg* I would not call the reform 'comprehensive' while it relies on appointing ad hoc disciplinary officers to substitute the for now un-removable ones installed by former PG/MoJ Ziobro. Using legislation introduced by PiS, by the way. 3/

The Professional Liability Chamber is an improvement over the ridiculous Disciplinary Chamber, and its actions insofar have not been controversial, but it still has 'neo' judges sitting there, and cases heard by them don't meet the standards of the right to a fair trial. 4/

What the new Polish government has done in those few months warrants praise, but much work remains. By placing politics first, the Commission opens itself to the argument that this whole rule of law story was really about getting the PiS government out. 5/