EU warns Poland of action against court reforms

‘The EU will “immediately” take steps to halt Poland’s voting rights in the bloc if it pushes through with controversial reforms of the country’s top court, European Commission vice president Frans Timmermans said Wednesday.
Timmermans said he welcomed the fact that Polish President Andrzej Duda had vetoed two judicial reforms introduced by the right-wing government, including the Supreme Court overhaul, but noted that two other laws had already been passed.
“The commission’s recommendation asks the Polish authorities not to take any measure to dismiss or force the retirement of Supreme Court judges. If such a measure is taken the commission is ready to immediately trigger the Article 7 procedure,” Timmermans said.
Article 7 is a never-before-used EU process that is designed to uphold the rule of law, a so-called “nuclear option” that can freeze a country’s right to vote in meetings of EU ministers.’
Read more: EU warns Poland of action against court reforms