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And so began the probably strongest and most meaningful debate about Europe in a long, long time, placing focus on the fundamentals. This had to happen a long time ago, after in 2013 the EC sharply changed the process of reporting on the progress of EU candidate countries. Back then, the Commission entitled its enlargement strategy “Fundamentals first”, among which the rule of law was underlined as a main priority. Four years later, the EC, represented by Frans Timmermans, reminded member states that the rule of law is what the Union was built upon in the first place. This became necessary after the Polish foreign minister went into an uneven battle with the vice president. “When will a constitutional tribunal be created in the Netherlands, according to the European standards? It's a rhetoric question, you don't have to answer!”, said Witold Waszczykowski triumphantly among a hushed audience.
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