European Commission to stop rule of law proceedings against Poland - media

The European Commission will stop its procedure against Poland for the alleged infringement of the rule of law, radio station RMF FM reported, citing a senior European Commission official. “The red line set by the EC has not been crossed,” an unnamed official said. On Thursday, the deputy head of the European Commission will meet MEPs from the European Commission on Civil Liberties (LIBE) to discuss Poland’s case. According to RMF FM, Brussels would not take any further steps without “deep discussions with the EU Commissioners.” The next potential step would be to vote whether there is a “serious and perpetual” threat to the rule of law in Poland, which would require a 4/5 majority. Back in July, the European Commission has set a condition to Polish authorities not to take any steps aimed to transfer or force to retire the Supreme Court judges. After President Andrzej Duda vetoed such bill, the Commission decided that, for now, the red line was not crossed. Otherwise, the EC threatened to launch Article 7 procedure a move that can lead to the suspension of a member country’s voting rights. However to be implemented it needs to be approved by all member states unanimously, while Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has stated that he would veto any attempt to sanction Poland.