WARSAW (Reuters) - Poland, the biggest former communist country in the European Union, said it will oppose any sanctions imposed by the bloc on fellow member Hungary, accused of floating EU rules on democracy.
Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban hold a joint news conference in Budapest, Hungary January 3, 2018. REUTERS/Bernadett Szabo
“Every country has its sovereign right to make internal reforms it deems appropriate,” Poland’s foreign ministry said in a statement late on Wednesday.
“Actions aimed against member states serve only deepening divides in the EU, increasing citizens’ current lack of confidence to European institutions.”
The European Parliament voted on Wednesday to sanction Hungary for neglecting norms on democracy, civil rights and corruption in a first bid to launch the punitive process of the EU treaty’s Article 7.
Since sweeping to power in 2010, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, once a campaigner against Hungary’s Soviet Communist overlords, has used his parliamentary majority to pressure courts, media and non-government groups.
He has also led opposition to German Chancellor Angela Merkel and others who want Europe to take in more Muslim refugees.
GoatsClimbTrees on September 13rd, 2018 at 08:52 UTC »
So that's the United Kingdom and Poland now then
SlyScorpion on September 13rd, 2018 at 07:40 UTC »
How is this news, though? This has been Poland's position for a while now...
subcomandantematteo on September 13rd, 2018 at 07:20 UTC »
The request for activation of Article 7 against Hungary is above all, but strongly, symbolic: it means that now the EU Council will have to consider it and vote in turn if it starts the complicated process provided for in the Treaty, which could eventually lead to sanctions against the country under accusation, until the suspension of its voting rights (but only if the other Member States unanimously request it, which is highly unlikely).
Art.7 was activated only once, last December against Poland. An alliance between the two countries is now even more likely to block the procedure in favour of each other Art.7