#ARTICLE 7

Belgium has urged EU member states to apply Article 7, the EU’s so-called “Nuclear option,” against Hungary before the central European state assumes the presidency of the Council of the EU in July.

The bloc’s potentially-disciplining Article 7 procedure was initiated against Poland in 2017 over what Brussels saw as a clear threat to the rule of law.

“After more than 6 years, we believe that the Article 7 procedure can be closed. I congratulate PM Donald Tusk and his government on this important breakthrough. This is a result of Poland’s hard work and determined reform efforts,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced on Monday on social media.

The European Commission (EC) has mentioned that Poland's strategies for reforming the judiciary are “quite remarkable.".