First Vice President Frans Timmermans on Wednesday (19 September) was expected to ask the College of Commissioners to refer the Polish Supreme Court law to the EU’s top court, the European Court of Justice.
The Bulgarian government decided today (19 September) to take the side of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban against the possible Article 7 procedure requested by the European Parliament.
Poland was banned Monday (17 September) from the EU body representing the member states' judicial institutions over its perceived lack of independence after controversial government reforms.
The Polish government has rejected the Commission's objections to its controversial law on the Supreme Court, stating that the Commission cannot assess justice in the member states. A complaint against Poland before the EU Court of Justice could soon follow. EURACTIV Poland’s media partner “Gazeta Wyborcza” reports.
It is the strongest punitive measure the EU has against its member states: Article 7. Since disciplinary measures were triggered against Poland for the first time in late 2017, the punitive Article 7 procedure has gained in notoriety.
The European Parliament's vote to censure Hungary presents the assembly's dominant centre-right bloc with a dilemma over whether to retain its populist Hungarian allies or expel them months before elections.
Poland on Wednesday (12 September) said it was very worried by the European Parliament's rare decision to launch a procedure against Hungary for posing a "systemic threat" to the EU's founding values.
Greece’s centre-right New Democracy party said yesterday (12 September) that it would vote in favour of the Sargentini report on activating Article 7 against Hungary.
Poland's presidency on Tuesday (11 September) named a new acting head of the Supreme Court as Warsaw presses ahead with an overhaul of its judiciary that critics, including the EU, say undermines the rule of law in the ex-communist state.
The European Parliament held a highly incendiary debate about Hungary on Tuesday (11 September), ahead of a vote on whether to trigger Article 7 against the country, exposing serious internal divisions in the European Peoples’ Party, which includes Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán's party.
More than ever, Europe’s democratic values are under threat and the political developments in Hungary perfectly illustrate that. Hence the importance of this week's vote on Hungary in the European Parliament, writes Giulio Ercolessi.
EURACTIV Poland's media partner "Gazeta Wyborcza" interviewed Manfred Weber, who announced his candidacy to be the Spitzenkandidat of the European Peoples' Party in the 2019 European elections.
European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker believes that the EPP membership of Hungary's ruling party, led by Viktor Orbán, "is a problem", according to reports by Italian media.
Next week's vote in the European Parliament on whether to trigger punitive Article 7 against Hungary will be a moment of truth for the EPP political group, whose behaviour will largely determine its outcome, an influential MEP said on Thursday (6 September).
The European Parliament will vote next week on a proposal to trigger Article 7 against Hungary. Hungarian civil society leaders threw their weight behind the proposal on Wednesday (5 September), saying it was the last chance to defend democracy in Hungary.
An openly gay Polish mayor launched what he termed a "pro-democratic" political movement on Tuesday (4 September) aimed at challenging the EU country's governing right-wing party accused by critics and the EU of passing reforms that threaten the rule of law.
The EU on Tuesday (14 August) stepped up its legal threats to Poland over its controversial supreme court reforms, giving Warsaw one month to comply or risk being hauled before the bloc's top court.
Poland's Supreme Court said on Thursday (2 August) said it was suspending the forced early retirement of judges over the age of 65, and judges who want to should stay in place until EU's top court decides whether measures that will effectively allow the government to choose the court's staff breach EU law.
Thousands of people staged protests across Poland on Thursday (26 July) after President Andrzej Duda signed into law a measure effectively letting the government choose the next Supreme Court chief.
The European Court of Justice (ECJ) yesterday (25 July) authorised EU members to refuse arrest warrants issued by Poland if they doubt defendants will get a fair trial there.
The European Commission formally notified Poland on Monday (July 2) that it had initiated infringement proceedings against the country because of the controversial Supreme Court Act, but gave the Polish authorities one month to answer.
The European Commission will open a legal case against Poland to challenge a new law forcing the early retirement of some 40% of the country's Supreme Court judges, officials said yesterday (28 June), a move likely to develop into a formal lawsuit.
EU ministers held the first-ever Article 7 hearing in Luxembourg on Tuesday (June 26) to determine the state of play in the rule of law dispute between Brussels and Poland. The EU remains unconvinced by Poland's recent efforts, with everyone waiting to see if and how a crucial judicial reform will go ahead on 3 July.
