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Conclusion of the procedure under Article 7 of the Treaty on the EU against Poland

29.05.2024

The European Commission decided today (May 29, 2024) to close the procedure under Article 7 of the Treaty on the European Union against Poland. The application to start the procedure was submitted to the EU Council in 2017.

This decision was made because, according to the European Commission, there is no longer an obvious risk of violating the rule of law in Poland, and the Polish authorities have taken significant steps to restore the rule of law.

"The Commission believes that there is no longer a clear breach of the rule of law in Poland, so it has withdrawn its reasoned proposal that triggered this procedure in 2017," announced EC spokesman Eric Mamer after today's meeting of commissioners. "Today, the formalities of what was previously announced, especially last week, have been completed," the spokesman said, referring to the meeting of European affairs ministers (May 21). Vice-President of the European Commission Viera Jourova, who attended that meeting, informed about the Commission's positive assessment of the rule of law in Poland.

The proceedings against Poland began in 2017 following a request submitted by Vice-President of the European Commission Vera Jourova. It concerned "a serious breach by a member state of the values of the Union," particularly the violation of the rule of law principles in the Polish justice system.

The basis for today's conclusion of the procedure, which has been ongoing for over six years under Article 7 of the Treaty on European Union, was the strategy (the so-called Action Plan) proposed by Minister of Justice Adam Bodnar. The Polish Action Plan for restoring the rule of law was presented by the Minister of Justice to the member states and the European Commission in February during a meeting of the EU General Affairs Council. It includes reforms such as those of the National Council of the Judiciary, the Supreme Court, and the Constitutional Tribunal, as well as the separation of the offices of the Minister of Justice and the Prosecutor General.

Although not all these solutions have yet been implemented, the European Commission emphasized that it no longer sees serious violations of the rule of law. However, this does not absolve Poland and the Ministry of Justice from fully implementing the reforms adopted in the Action Plan.

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