The seven candidates participating in POLITICO's EU Parliament presidential debate | POLITICO Presidential candidates to Poland: Fix rule of law or face sanction Warsaw continues to defy Brussels over rule of law concerns.

Six of the MEPs running for president of the European Parliament support stripping Poland of its voting rights in the Council of the EU if it does not address concerns about judicial independence and the rule of law.

During a POLITICO-sponsored presidential debate Wednesday evening, the candidates for the two largest groups — Antonio Tajani of the European People's Party and Gianni Pittella of the Alliance of Socialists & Democrats — agreed sanctions should be imposed on the Polish government if it does not implement recommendations made by the European Commission last year.

"The problem is if there are decisions that show ... there have been breaches," said Tajani. "If there are rules and these rules have been breached then yes [they should be sanctioned]."

Pittella said sanctions should be imposed "if there are the conditions [for doing so]."

The Polish government has been facing down Brussels, which has criticized the right-wing Law and Justice party's changes to the functioning of the country's highest court.

The Commission reiterated its demands just before Christmas, giving the government until the end of February to reverse the changes. If it fails to do so it risks a formal warning from the Council, which would require MEPs' approval, and ultimately, if it doesn't change course, the suspension of its voting rights in the Council of the EU.

When asked if sanctions should be imposed on Warsaw over the Commission's rule of law concerns, even Helga Stevens — the candidate for the European Conservatives and Reformists to which the Law and Justice party's 19 MEPs belong — agreed.

“Yes. Yes, I mean if they have broken the rule of law, absolutely,” she said.

The radical left candidate, Eleonora Forenza, Guy Verhofstadt of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe and Jean Lambert of the Greens/European Free Alliance all agreed that Poland should face sanctions. Laurenţiu Rebega from the Europe of Nations and Freedom Group was the only candidate to disagree.

There are eight candidates for the role of Parliament president, to be voted on in a plenary session next Tuesday. The Europe for Freedom and Direct Democracy group's nominee, Piernicola Pedicini, did not attend the POLITICO debate.