GUE/NGL President Gabi Zimmer welcomes the European Commission's proposal for a Council decision on the rule of law in Poland that was annnounced today. 

“The rule of law and democracy belong together like water and life.”

“The PiS government is gravely undermining the rule of law in Poland and driving a transformation of the state for its own benefit. 

“Thus, the government has become a threat to democratic freedoms and civil rights in the country, as well as a threat to the fundamental values of the EU. That affects all of us. 

“It was high time that the Commission opened this procedure against the Polish government. In the months of dialogue that have passed, the Polish government has only shown its narrow-mindedness and unwillingness to compromise. 

“This is the right step for the EU to remain credible and protect European fundamental values,” Zimmer concudes.