The European Commission on Wednesday took the unprecedented step of triggering Article 7 of the EU Treaty against Poland, stepping up pressure on Warsaw over controversial changes to the judicial system by the country’s ruling conservatives,  radiopolsha.pl reported. 

Thus, the European Commissioners supported the proposal of the Vice-President of the European Commission, Frans Timmermans.
Timmermans referred to the legal expertise of the EC, as well as the negative conclusion of the Venetian commission concerning reform of judicial system in Poland and earlier changes in work of the Constitutional court.

The move means that the EU’s executive wants the bloc’s member states to declare whether the rule of law in Poland is under threat. 

Under the procedure, a majority of four-fifths of EU members -- 22 countries -- can now determine there is a “clear risk of a serious breach” of the bloc’s fundamental values.

The move does not mean that sanctions will be imposed on Poland. Penalties on Warsaw would have to be backed unanimously by EU member states, while Hungary has said it would not support sanctions.