LUXEMBOURG (AP) - European Union foreign ministers urged Poland on Tuesday to answer questions about rule of law amid concerns about a government clampdown on judicial independence.

The prodding of Warsaw comes after the EU Commission launched a rule of law procedure against it over what it sees as an erosion of independence in Poland's justice system. Technically, the procedure could strip Poland of EU voting rights but this is unlikely to happen as its ally Hungary appears ready to veto such action.

"The rule of law is one of the backbones of European cooperation and there are a number of laws in Poland that raise questions," Dutch Foreign Minister Stef Blok said on the sidelines of a meeting in Luxembourg. "The possibility that verdicts can be actually brought into doubt for a period of 20 years is quite unique," he added.

Luxembourg Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn also expressed concern about changes to the terms that judges serve in Poland.

"You can't change the rules in the middle of things. If there are judges who are named for a certain period, you can't say during that time that now there are limits," he told reporters. "We are not here to judge Poland or criticize Poland. We're here to say that in Europe the independence of the judiciary is sacred, so everything has to be done to protect it."

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