Cooperation, EU – Baltic States

"We understand (...) the need for the judicial reform, and if (...) attempts were made to apply restrictive measures to Poland, Lithuania would support the Republic of Poland," Lithuanian Prime Minister Saulius Skvernelis, who hosted his Latvian, Estonian and Polish counterparts in Vilnius on Friday, told reporters. 

Latvian Prime Minister Maris Kucinskis supported the same idea, saying, "We would not want any sanctions to be imposed on Poland."

Estonian Prime Minister Juri Ratas said that the issue of restricting Poland's right to vote on EU matters "cannot even be considered".

"We can't allow this to go so far, because it is through dialogue that we can reach a common position in the EU," he said.

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki met with European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker in Brussels on Thursday as part of Warsaw's efforts to avert potential EU sanctions.

Morawiecki said in Vilnius that he had handed a document detailing changes in the Polish judiciary to Juncker.

"I believe that, in the next few months, we will be able to convince our partners in the EU that this reform is possible," the Polish prime minister said.