Open Letter to the General Affairs Council and Member States regarding the situation in Poland

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College of Commissioners

15/05/2017 – On 16 May, the General Affairs Council is set to debate the situation in Poland upon request from the European Commission. We are writing to call on you to act to protect the rule of law and human rights in Poland. Despite repeated warnings by the European Commission, the Council of Europe’s Commission for Democracy through Law (Venice Commission), other international bodies and civil society organisations, the Polish government has continued on its course of undermining the rule of law, tightening its grip on media and backsliding on human rights protection. These actions violate the EU’s founding principles as enshrined in Article 2 of the Treaty on European Union (TEU). We therefore urge you to resort to the procedure laid down in Article 7 TEU and ensure Poland respects the principles on which the EU is founded.

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