Brussels, 20 July 2021 (dpa/MIA) – Media freedom and judicial independence remain under threat in Hungary and Poland, the European Commission said in its new rule-of-law report. “There are causes for serious concern in a number of member states, especially when it comes to the independence of judiciary,” European Commission Executive Vice-President Vera Jourova said in a press release published on Tuesday. In both countries, corruption remained a major challenge, according to the report. In Hungary, for example, “risks of clientelism, favouritism and nepotism in high-level public administration as well as risks arising from the link between businesses and political actors remain unaddressed,” an abstract of the report reads. The findings could have serious consequences for the countries. A new – yet to be used – tool ties a functioning rule of law system to EU funds and allows for the bloc to withhold funds if there are severe shortcomings in a country. The mechanism was introduced last year amid growing concern about democratic backsliding in the two countries. The report is likely to strain relations between the EU executive and Budapest and Warsaw further. The commission launched a string of cases against the two countries, arguing that they breach EU law on various fronts. According to an EU official, deciding whether the rule-of-law tool should be used requires a separate assessment, but the report published on Tuesday builds the basis for it. Media freedom remained under threat in Hungary, the commission found, pointing to the fact that the radio station Klubradio was taken off air recently. In Poland, the commission decried judicial reforms that risked corroding judicial independence.