Poland will pay price for defying EU law: EU chief

Poland's Constitutional Tribunal ruled last week that parts of EU law are incompatible with the Polish constitution, undermining the legal pillar on which the union stands and raising fears that Poland could eventually leave the bloc.

Speaking ahead of Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki in an EU parliament debate, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen laid options for a response to the Polish court's attack on the primacy of EU law. They included legal challenges, fines, and withholding funding.

She said Poland's rights in the bloc - including the right to vote on EU decisions - could also be suspended for breaching its core values.

Morawiecki, speaking next in the EU assembly, accused the bloc of overstepping its authority. Poland's ruling nationalist Law and Justice party says it has no plans for a "Polexit" and - unlike Britain before its Brexit referendum in 2016 - popular support for membership of the EU remains high in Poland.