Poland on course for EU SHOWDOWN as Brussels threatens to strip Warsaw of voting rights

Crunch talks will be held in Warsaw today with European Commission vice-president Frans Timmermans before Poland is hauled in front of it’s fellow 27 member states on its observance of its rule of law, which could result in a sanction of the country’s voting rights.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who has himself had rows with the bloc over rule of law, has vowed to block any counter-measures taken by Brussels at the hearing, which would require unanimity to go ahead.

The hearing could not come at a worse time for Brussels, which is battling Brexit negotiations and trade talks with US President Donald Trump who has forced a 25 percent tariff of American goods on the bloc, adding further strain.

One EU diplomat, who did not want to be named, fears the Poland case has exposed a dispute over “what rule of law means”.

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Crunch talks will be held in Warsaw today with European Commission vice-president Frans Timmermans

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Mr Timmermans will call on Poland’s Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki to scrap the overhaul

He said: “If our starting points are fundamentally different, we may never find an understanding.
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“This is the fifth-largest member state. It is not something you can easily contain.”

The EU has planned the hearing swiftly, following Warsaw’s overhaul of the country’s Supreme Court, which will come into effect in a matter of weeks on July 3.

The overhaul will force more than a third of the court’s judges to retire, which was one of many changes to Poland’s judicial system that triggered accusations that Warsaw is endangering its rule of law.

Though Poland claims the overhaul is simply a reform which has remained untouched since communist times.

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Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has vowed to block any counter-measures

Today, Mr Timmermans will call on Poland’s Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki

to scrap the overhaul or risk a showdown with the bloc.

Last week, Mr Timmermans warned the rebel state not to abuse its powers.

He said: “You cannot say ‘Because I have got a majority I can do with rule of law whatever I like’.”

He argued Warsaw was at risk of breaching EU laws and values, adding a so-called Article 7 process of sanctioning the country was a very real possibility.

Last week, EU ambassadors voted 14 to four in favour of escalating the dispute against Poland.

The hearing will take place on June 26.

So far, Hungary, Croatia, Slovakia and the Czech Republic have defended Poland. RSS feed from The Express

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