Future of Europe Breakfast on Poland and the Rule of Law
This event was co-hosted by the Representation of the European Commission and the Clingendael Institute. The full photo stream of this event can be accessed here.
During this session, Sophie in ‘t Veld, member of the European Parliament for ALDE, and senior research fellow at the Centre for European Reform Agata Gostyńska-Jakubowska discussed the dispute between the European Commission and Poland, and what lies ahead.
The breakfast roundtable focused on Poland’s confrontation with the European Union over its judicial reforms. The Commission, backed by a majority of member states and European parliamentarians, claims that Warsaw is undermining core European principles of the rule of law and democratic checks and balances, most recently in relation to changes to the Supreme Court. Concern is growing that Poland is on a trajectory towards illiberalism. It has led to the triggering of Article 7.1 in December 2017, which could ultimately lead to Poland being stripped of its voting rights. The European Court of Justice has now also become involved. How can the dispute with Warsaw be resolved? How can European values and principles inside the Union be best protected? And what does this mean for the future of internal cohesion of the Union?
