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M. Continuo

EU launches preliminary review on Polish rights concerns


    BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The EU executive decided on Wednesday to launch the preliminary stage of a formal review procedure into whether actions by the Polish government on the constitutional court breach EU rules on the rule of law.

    Speaking after an unusually long weekly meeting in Brussels of the European Commission, the 28-member body which governs the bloc, First Vice President Frans Timmermans said: "Today we have decided that the Commission will carry out a preliminary assessment of this matter under the Rule of Law framework."

    It is the first time that the procedure, introduced last year after the Commission was accused of failing to hold the Hungarian government to maintaining European democratic values, has been launched. EU sources said some commissioners had favoured holding off on the launch of the process for now.

    Timmermans said: "The purpose of the process we have launched is to clarify the facts in an objective way, assess the situation in more depth and start a dialogue with Polish authorities without prejudging any possible next steps."

    He added that the executive would also look into concerns about measures the new, nationalist-led government in Warsaw has taken to increase government control over the state broadcaster.

    (Reporting by Alastair Macdonald, Jan Strupczewski and Gabriela Baczynska; Editing by Alastair Macdonald)