Initial European commission plans for a mechanism to withhold funds from EU governments that endanger the rights of its citizens are now set to require the support of a qualified majority of member states after being weakened earlier in the negotiation. “Poland is making a mockery of our values and gets rewarded for it. The commission is seeking backing to borrow €750bn (£680bn) from international capital markets of which €560bn will fund economic reforms in member states through a mixture of grants and loans. He said: “The rule of law mechanism for the distribution of EU funds needs to be strengthened. There are significant doubts, however, that the proposed new taxes on carbon emissions and plastics will come to fruition given the resistance by a number of member states, including Poland.

Source: The Guardian June 29, 2020 04:52 UTC