Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel in Rome Saturday | Tiziana Fabi/AFP via Getty Images Angela Merkel doesn’t want to threaten Poland and Hungary ‘for now’ The German chancellor said she hoped that tensions could be resolved with dialogue.

German chancellor Angela Merkel said on Saturday she hopes tensions between the EU and member states such as Poland and Hungary could be resolved by dialogue, and that threatening them with financial sanctions would not be appropriate “for now.”

In an interview with German public TV network ARD, Merkel, who was answering a question about the two countries, said that it was up to the European Commission to talk with member states on “the substance” of the concerns that have been raised. Member governments will then discuss of their own worries, she said, although she did not explicitly name Poland and Hungary in her answer.

“I do not think threat would be good now,” said Merkel, although she did not rule it out in future. “I would like to make no threat today in this interview, but I would like to see the rule of law respected throughout Europe, as we expect it should be”.

Hungary has been criticised in Brussels for its refusal to comply with a EU agreement on the settlement of refugees, and Poland has raised concerns for its reforms of the judiciary and of the media that are seen at odds with EU fundamental principles. Some have suggested that the EU could use the threat of withholding so-called “structural funds” to force a compromise.