Brussels Edition: Chipping Away at Democracy

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Ministers meeting in Brussels for the last time before the long summer break will get something to chew over from the European Commission — a debrief on the slow but steady decline in Poland’s democratic standards. The discussion will happen against the backdrop of an escalated infringement process against Warsaw over judicial independence and a proposal to create a permanent rule-of-law monitoring mechanism. Crucially for Poland, Hungary and other repeat offenders in the east, it’s likely to provide more ammunition to those wanting to make the future flow of EU funds contingent upon adherence to the bloc’s norms. It’s another hot potato for Ursula von der Leyen, who had to rely on backing from Polish firebrands at the EU Parliament.