2024-09-18 15:04 update: 2024-09-19, 14:13
Photo: PAP/Albert Zawada
Poland's Piotr Serafin, the newly-appointed EU budget commissioner, will also be responsible for blocking funds due to violations of the rule of law, an EU official told PAP on Wednesday.
Serafin will be battling financial fraud and will be in charge of matters concerning the staff of the European Commission, as well as preparing the EU's long-term budget.
On top of that, his job will concern those European states which have issues with the rule of law. An EU official told PAP that Serafin would oversee the implementation of the rule of law conditionality mechanism together with Michael McGrath from Ireland, who is to be commissioner for justice and the rule of law.
On Tuesday, the European Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen, announced Serafin's new role within Europe's leading institution. She indicated that he would be reporting directly to her, which signifies an elevation in his status among the other commissioners.
Serafin was a deputy foreign minister in Donald Tusk's government in 2010-2014, as well as the chief aide to Tusk when the latter was the EC president in 2014-2019.
Serafin's appointment as EU budget commissioner comes amid ongoing tensions between the EC and Hungary, as the latter remains the only EU member state with part of its EU funds frozen. Budapest faced EUR 22 billion frozen by Brussels, with nearly half of this summary released in October 2023. Similar sanctions might be imposed on Slovakia if the European Commission finds the country's government responsible for backsliding on the rule of law. (PAP)
yb/jch
