Commission withdraws Article 7 proceedings against Poland

3 months ago 13

The European Commission officially withdrew the Article 7 procedure against Poland after concluding that the country no longer violates the rule of law, the EU’s executive branch announced on Wednesday.

“Today, the Commission has closed the Article 7(1) TEU procedure for Poland. There is no longer a clear risk of a serious breach of the rule of law in Poland,” Commission Spokesman Eric Mamer wrote on X on Wednesday.

He added that the Polish authorities took “important steps” to restore the rule of law, which the Commission “continues to monitor and support”.

The Commission opened the case in 2017, finding that the previous conservative PiS (ECR) government had flouted the rule of law principles by passing laws that undermined the independence of the judiciary.

After gaining power following the 2023 elections, the broad coalition led by former European Council President Donald Tusk promised to restore the rule of law and repeal the most controversial laws passed by their predecessors.

In February, Poland’s Justice Minister Adam Bodnar presented the Commission and the Council with an action plan consisting of nine laws to reverse the PiS’s changes and guarantee the judiciary’s independence.

The plan was welcomed by the EU executive and other EU member states and became one of the key steps that allowed the Article 7 procedure to be closed, according to Commission Vice-President Věra Jourová.

Earlier this month, Jourová said that she would lobby the Commission to close the case, as there was a new, positive assessment of the rule of law in Poland.

Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced plans to close the case on 6 May and congratulated Tusk’s government on the “breakthrough” resulting from Warsaw’s hard work and determination to reform.

“Yet, this does not relieve Poland and the Ministry of Justice from the need to fully implement the reforms adopted in the Action Plan,” the ministry stated in an official announcement published on Wednesday.

An Article 7 procedure was also launched against Hungary and Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s government, whom the Commission has accused of violating EU values.

(Aleksandra Krzysztoszek | Euractiv.pl)