EU must respect ‘rule of law’ over Poland abortion ruling, says bishop

An EU Parliament resolution on Poland’s recent constitutional ban on abortions “exceeds the confidences conferred on it by the member states”, said Bishop Noel Treanor.

The Down and Connor bishop, who is vice-president of the EU bishops conference, COMECE, was a signatory on a letter from the bishops to the EU criticising the resolution.

While endorsing the EU Parliament’s emphasis on respect for the rule of law, COMECE stressed that “the rule of law also requires respect for the competences of the Member States and the choices made by them”.

Speaking to The Irish Catholic, Bishop Treanor said that it is vital that in “promoting and espousing the rule of law, the EU actually applies it within the workings of its own institutions”.

“There are matters which are of EU competence and there are matters which are of member-state competence,” Dr Treanor said. “The powers that the member states have conferred on the EU over the years are limited, they are agreed, they are enshrined in the treaties.

“If the EU is to be consistent of course in promoting the rule of law, obviously its own institutions must abide by its own treaties.”