The European Commission is debating this Wednesday, December 20th the activation of Article 7 of the EU Treaty against Poland. As in the Hungarian case, the European institutions are confronted with violations of the democratic principles underlying membership of the European Union. In a climate of mutual distrust, other EU states could be tempted to follow suit, while the Commission remains paralysed.
In this tribune, Alain Dauvergne, advisor at the Jacques Delors Institute, analyses the situation and the notorious article 7 of the European Treaty, which can deprive a member state of its voting rights in the EU, but which remains so impracticable as to have no deterrent effect.