The European Parliament adopted a resolution on November 15 calling on the EU Council to launch the so-called “nuclear option” against Poland to punish Warsaw for its alleged abuse of the rule of law.

The  triggering of Article 7 of the Treaty on the European Union could in theory lead to suspension of Poland’s voting rights in the bloc. Poland has been at loggerheads with Brussels nearly from the first day the rightwing Law and Justice (PiS) government took over power in late 2015.

The resolution, which passed by 438 votes to 152 with 71 abstentions, lists a number of PiS moves that the members of the European Parliament, or MEPs, see as representing “a clear risk of a serious breach” of democracy, human rights, and rule of law in Poland.

PiS’ reforms of the judiciary appear to top concern for the MEPs, as the resolution says that “redrafted legislation relating to the Polish judiciary [has] potential to structurally undermine judicial independence and weaken the rule of law in Poland”.

The resolution also calls on the Polish government to respect the right of freedom of assembly by revoking provisions in the law that prioritise “government-approved cyclical assemblies”.

It also calls on PiS to repeal the recently passed NGO law, which arguably hinders access to state funding for critical civil society groups, and to respect women’s reproductive and sexual rights, threatened by the withdrawal of emergency contraception from over-the-counter sales and by – still initial – plans to ban abortion in virtually all cases.

The adoption of the resolution was a “scandalous event”, Poland’s PM Beata Szydlo – who celebrates two years of her government this week – statement. “Such an approach is detrimental to the process of European integration as it only leads to stigmatising a member state,” it added.

The real weight of the resolution is also limited, points Otilia Dhand of Teneo Intelligence.

“The Article 7 procedure could ultimately lead to sanctions against Poland, such as the suspension of voting rights or cuts to EU funding. However, such a scenario is unlikely, because it would require the unanimous support of all other member states,” Dhand wrote.

“At the very least, Hungarian Prime Minister Victor Orban has already declared he would oppose any penalties on Poland; presumably, expecting an eventual reciprocal response from Warsaw,” she added.

“Instead of sanctions, proposals are emerging to hurt Poland financially by cutting the funding available to the country under the next EU budget,” Dhand wrote.