It has not seized past ones
to Poland’s former Soviet overlords and raised doubts over whether its laws ought to apply to Poland. The commission has in turn throttled some of the subsidies that flow to Poles.
But that was then. As an actual war has convulsed the continent, a metaphorical peace has broken out within the. All sides are playing nice. In June the commission announced it would soon unlock €35bn it had once withheld from Poland, part of a €750bnpandemic-recovery fund that other countries have already been spending. The money had been frozen amid concerns that Poland’s judiciary has been undermined by, which has bent the courts in its favour .
Brussels may soon tire of Poland, too. The eurocrats’ recent conciliatory approach has partly been aimed at isolating Hungary, which for years formed an illiberal axis with Poland. The pair’s relationship soured after Viktor Orban, the Hungarian strongman prime minister, proved too close to Russia for Poland’s taste.