EU Commission to pursue dialog with Poland over rule of law

European Union members called for the continued dialog with Poland regarding rule of law. “There was broad agreement around the table today that rule of law is a common responsibility and we should continue dialog with Poland,” Commission's Vice President Frans Timmermans said after the debate in Brussels on Tuesday. Poland agreed, although continues to maintain that no laws were broken. “The conclusions of the meeting are that the dialog should continue, which we agree with, and that the EU is a union of values where the rule of law plays an important role. We are in complete agreement with that as well. But we do not agree with interpretations presented by the European Commission. A one-sided expectation that we will implement recommendations is not dialog but an order,” deputy foreign minister Konrad Szymański said. During the debate, most EU members, except Hungary pressured Poland to implement EU proposed changes to its laws. Some, including Lithuania, the UK, Slovakia and Czechia remained neutral. Belgium and France suggested that Poland should face consequences if it does not change its stance. Many said the case should be discussed among all EU states again. “This is a clear signal. The Polish government should not think nobody cares and that they can get away with whatever,” one EU diplomat told Reuters. Potential consequences could include stripping Warsaw of its voting rights, but that would require unanimity across the bloc. In January last year, the Commission launched a rule-of-law probe into whether laws regarding appointing judges in Poland's top court, the Constitutional Tribunal were violating EU standards.