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Poland and the EU are locked in a bitter battle over the rule of law, with Brussels saying planned changes to how judges are appointed and fired are in contravention of European law.

If Poland breaks EU law, Brussels bureaucrats have threatened the nation with invoking Article 7.

The opening of a procedure for the abolition of voting rights under Article 7 of the EU Treaty would be a unique step in EU history and move which the Commission can do.

Senior ministers in Warsaw, including the prime minister Beata Szydlo, hit back - accusing eurocrats of sticking their noses into what is a purely domestic affair.

And now German Chancellor Angela Merkel has also waded in, insisting Germany “cannot keep our mouths shut” on the issue despite wanting to maintain good relations with “neighbour” Poland.

Speaking at a press conference in Berlin on yesterday, she stressed the rule of law was "the basis for cooperation within the EU".