Slovenian PM: I would support sanctions against Poland if needed

Slovenian PM Miro Cerar said that his country would support punishing countries who infringe on EU’s core values. “If somebody would seriously endanger the rule of law in Europe, then Slovenia would support sanctions if they were needed,” he said in an interview with Bloomberg, pointing fingers at Warsaw. “We are seeing some processes in Poland that are endangering the rule of law,” he added. Asked about increasing wedge between “old” EU member states and new CEE countries, Cerar said that Slovenia wants to be a part of the traditional EU values. “We need to be in step with the most integrated part of EU, and this is our commitment.” Cerar joins his Slovakian counterpart Robert Fico, who said recently that his country must become part of the most-integrated group of EU states. Warsaw and Brussels have been at loggerheads in recent months over a number of issues, including rule of law. Poland is the subject of the EU’s first-ever probe into whether a member is upholding the bloc’s democratic values.