Newly appointed Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki reacts after receiving his nomination from President Andrzej Duda (not pictured) during a government swearing-in ceremony in Warsaw, Poland, December 11, 2017/ Reuters

BRUSSELS: The European Commission will open next week a procedure against Poland that could lead to suspending Poland?s voting rights in the European Union over concerns that Warsaw is not respecting the rule of law, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said.

The process, called in EU jargon the ?article 7 procedure? from the name of the article in the EU treaty that says that all EU countries must respect the common values of the EU, including the rule of law, is to start on Wednesday.

?If a process has started and, as far as I understand, the decision has already been made that next Wednesday the European Commission plans to start article 7.1, then it will most likely be triggered,? Morawiecki told reporters.

?From the start of such an unfair procedure for us, until it ends, we will certainly talk to our partners,? he said.