In the letters to the committee

• the Polish Government on the independence of the judiciary and respect for EU law; and
• asked the Hungarian government about public procurement, the risk of conflicts of interest and corruption.

Countries have two months to respond and it depends on whether a rule of law mechanism is launched against them, which could even lead to the withdrawal of EU money.

According to letters obtained by the Financial Times, in the case of Warsaw, the committee expects a protracted legal battle over the Polish judicial system, which the committee says threatens the independence of the judiciary and the fundamental legal obligations that the EU has. Tensions peaked between Warsaw and Brussels in October, when the Polish Constitutional Court ruled that certain EU fundamental laws were incompatible with the Polish constitution.

According to the paper, the letters sent to Warsaw and Budapest do not yet represent a formal launch of the rule of law mechanism, but a step in that direction.

Issues from Hungary related to public procurement, the risk of conflicts of interest and corruption in the allocation of EU funds.

Brussels has asked the Hungarian government to send a list of 10 people or groups who have benefited most from EU agricultural subsidies.

The committee also asked the Polish government questions about public procurement, the risk of conflicts of interest and corruption in the allocation of EU funds.

Meanwhile, the European Commission sent about HUF 360 billion of EU aid to Hungary from the beginning of October to the beginning of November at the expense of the 2014-2020 development period:

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