Poland plans to take Hungary to ECJ over political asylum case

Poland plans to take Hungary to the European Court of Justice (ECJ) over its decision to grant asylum to Polish opposition politician Marcin Romanowski, who is wanted on criminal corruption charges.

The announcement was made by Polish Deputy Foreign Minister Andrzej Szejna.

On 19 December, the Warsaw Regional Court issued a European Arrest Warrant for Romanowski, the former Deputy Minister in the Law and Justice government. The warrant has now been sent to Hungary.

The Polish foreign minister said if Hungary does not comply with the European arrest warrant, Poland will take the matter to the ECJ, using an EU treaty article that allows one member state to sue another for failing to meet its obligations.

In an interview, Romanowski said Hungary’s decision to grant asylum came after he convinced authorities of the ongoing rule of law crisis in Poland.

The act has triggered a diplomatic spat between the two nations.

Both Poland and Hungary are members of the 27-member European Union, and Poland believes Budapest’s move of offering political asylum to Romanowski is “an action contrary to the fundamental principle of loyal cooperation” as laid out in the EU treaties.

The Polish prosecutor’s office has accused Romanowski of committing 11 crimes, including rigging tenders and the misappropriation of funds.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk took office last year vowing to restore democratic norms and fight corruption that has prevailed under the national conservative government of Law and Justice, who are aligned with Hungary.

As part of that effort, his government has been seeking to bring to justice some former government officials who allegedly broke the law during Law and Justice’s eight years in office, from 2015 to 2023.