Article 7 sanctions: a legal expert explains the EU’s ‘nuclear option’

Several disputes between the European Union and national governments have raised a matter rarely discussed beyond Brussels – the potential for the union to sanction one of its member states by suspending its membership rights.

This sanction is delivered by triggering Article 7 of the Treaty of the European Union. It’s a mechanism that has severe implications and has never actually been used. But concerns about the rule of law in Poland and Hungary have raised intense discussions about using Article 7.

This article answers the questions:

+ Why does Article 7 exist?
+ What does Article 7 do?
+ Has it ever been used?

ESO: Background information: How to fix Europe’s ‘rule of law’ blindspot (June 2017, et al) http://www.europeansources.info/record/opinion-how-to-fix-europes-rule-of-law-blindspot/

European Commission: Justice: Effective justice: Rule of law http://ec.europa.eu/justice/effective-justice/rule-of-law/index_en.htm

EUR-Lex: Summaries of EU Legislation: Promoting and safeguarding the EUs values http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=uriserv%3Al33500

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