Fears EU is close to splitting up

Deep divisions over the European Union’s legal structure and its energy supply have split a crucial EU summit, with eastern member states Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic standing in open defiance against Brussels.

The rule of law issue was especially thorny, with the potential to shake the foundations of the 27-nation bloc.

Poland went into the gathering to defend an October 7 ruling by its constitutional court that said EU law applied only in limited areas and Polish law prevailed in all others.

The European Commission and countries including the Netherlands, Finland and Belgium say the ruling was merely a ploy by Warsaw to roll back democratic norms.

Meanwhile, Europe is struggling to find ways to cope with a global energy crunch while sticking to goals to mitigate climate change. Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis, backed by Hungarian leader Viktor Orban, refused to sign the summit’s energy strategy.