European Commission formally ends Article 7 proceedings against Poland

Seven years on, EU executive ends rule-of-law proceedings it launched against Poland after new government’s reforms get green light

By Jo Harper

WARSAW (AA) – The European Commission on Wednesday officially ended rule-of-law proceedings known as Article 7 that it launched against Poland seven years ago.

“The commission considers there is no longer a clear risk of a serious breach of the rule of law in Poland,” it said in a statement.

The new government has “launched a series of measures to address the concerns on the independence of the justice system, recognized the primacy of EU law and is committed to implementing all judgments related to rule of law,” it said.

Article 7 was triggered in December 2017 over concerns that the judicial reforms under the former Law and Justice (PiS) government were contrary to EU values.

Article 7 could in theory have seen the suspension of Poland’s EU membership rights.

Eric Mamer, spokesperson for European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, said Brussels would “continue to monitor and support” Warsaw’s implementation of the action plan.

Kaynak:

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