EU Commission launches probe into new Polish laws

The EU Commission on Wednesday opened an unprecedented inquiry into whether new Polish laws are violating fundamental values of the bloc. The Commission’s First Vice-President Frans Timmermans announced a “preliminary assessment” under the EU's Rule of Law Framework.

“The Rule of Law is one of the fundamental values upon which the EU is founded,” the Commission said in a press statement. “Recent events in Poland have given rise to concerns regarding the respect of the rule of law.”

The College mandated Timmermans to send a letter to the Polish government in order to start the structured dialogue under the Rule of Law Framework without prejudging any further step. The College agreed to come back to the matter by mid-March, in close cooperation with the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe, the Commission said.

Echoing what EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said last week, Timmermans underlined that this was not about accusations and polemics, but about finding solutions "in a spirit of dialogue." In  that regard, he stressed his readiness to go to Warsaw to debate with Polish officials. See also our cepAdhoc.