BRUSSELS (Sputnik) – In 2015, the Polish government adopted a number of controversial laws on police, media and court including one that might influence the independence of the Constitutional Tribunal Judges.
"The Commission has decided to send additional recommendations to the Polish government because new problems have arisen relating to the rule of law in Poland. The independence of the judiciary is of paramount importance to the rule of law. The Commission will not drop this matter and will continue to look for solutions in dialogue with Polish authorities without prejudice to other steps we might have to take if this dialogue continues to remain without results," Timmermans said, as quoted by the European Commission.
After the two months have lapsed, the Polish government should inform the commission of the steps taken.
"If there is no satisfactory follow-up within the set time limit, the Commission has the discretion whether or not to resort to the procedure laid down in Article 7 TEU," the commission said in a statement.
Triggering of Article 7 of the Treaty on European Union (TEU) may result in the country losing its voting rights in the Council.
#RuleOfLaw in #Poland: @EU_Commission issues additional recommendations, asks for response within 2 months: https://t.co/6CJZJveewA pic.twitter.com/W4D3PzN5LW
— European Commission (@EU_Commission) 21 декабря 2016 г.