EU executive chides Poland, Hungary for democratic deficiencies

By RAF CASERT
Associated Press

BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union’s executive is chiding Poland and Hungary for democratic deficiencies. While the EU Commission’s annual rule of law report on Wednesday notes a smattering of improvements in the two nations, it also underscores many remaining shortcomings that highlight the standoff between the Brussels-based EU institutions and the two east European nations. It constitutes one of the fundamental problems within the 27-nation bloc that has always sought to be a beacon of Western political liberalism in a world where autocracies sway ever more power. Poland came up time and again in the report, specifically on legal issues that haven’t been fully addressed despite years of wrangling between Brussels and Poland, and EU action to deny Poland access to some EU funds.