On Thursday 11 January, Bulgaria's Prime Minister Boïko Borissov hoped there would be no vote at the EU Council on Poland and Article 7 of the treaty on the rule of law – a vote which could lead to unprecedented sanctions.
Saying that he was sure Poland would do its utmost to avoid the Council having to discuss Article 7, Borissov stated that if the procedure led to a vote, "we will have sleepless nights". "I really hope we can avoid this challenge", he added when speaking to a group of journalists in Sofia. "I cannot say that my Polish friends do not respect the rule of law. It is so vague to measure", he said, leaving some doubt as to his decision should a vote take place.
According to the Bulgarian minister in charge of the presidency, Lilyana Pavlova, the discussions on this famous article are not expected to come to an end in the next six months due to timetabling delays. "The procedure is just beginning (...) I do not expect anything specific with immediate effects on this issue during the Bulgarian presidency", she told another press meeting, pointing out the different stages. The General Affairs Council in February will thus have the goal of "starting a discussion and analysing the positions of each country, including Poland", she said. The positions will then be analysed, the legal service of the Council consulted, and Poland will be able to defend its position at a later Council, she added.
Although the Commission has activated the Article 7 procedure in an unprecedented move (see EUROPE 11930), its president and Poland's new prime minister agreed on 9 January to progress by the end of February towards resolving the disagreements over the reforms in Poland (see EUROPE 11936). (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)