On February 16, the European Union's top court rejected a legal challenge by Poland and Hungary to a conditionality mechanism that would link EU funds for member states to respect for the rule of law. The Polish government stands by its controversial judicial reforms, despite criticism from local judges. On the ground in Poland, many development projects that were counting on EU funding have already been halted. One example is in the town of Wieliczka, as our correspondent Gulliver Cragg reports.
In a highly anticipated ruling on February 16, the EU's top court ruled in favour of making the bloc's cash handouts conditional on a country's respect for the rule of law. It's a setback for Poland and Hungary, which have carried out controversial judicial reforms and risk seeing money cut from the billions in EU funding they receive.
