Poland brushed off concerns from the European Union that it’s backsliding on democracy and the rule of law with a revamp of its constitutional court, setting itself on a collision course with allies trying to stop the antiestablishment tide threatening the bloc.

In a response to recommendations made by the European Commission in December to restore checks and balances, the government said the disputed changes it has made to the Constitutional Tribunal had strengthened rule of law.

If the commission deems Poland’s answers unsatisfactory, it has the right to use Article 7 of the bloc’s treaty to potentially seek sanctions including the suspension of voting rights.

Poland expects its response to end the probe, its foreign minister said. “This case is closed,’’ Witold Waszczykowski told Radio 3 on Tuesday. The government’s response was “a courtesy’’ to show “we’re in dialogue’’ with the commission, he said.

Joining the global backlash of political forces seeking to overturn a world order decades in the making, Poland’s ruling Law & Justice has spurned the liberal, multicultural values that uphold the EU in a push to return the country to its traditional roots. Since winning a 2015 election, it has overhauled the constitutional court in moves that the tribunal ruled illegal. It has also fired journalists from state-run news outlets and pushed public media to support its policies.

The last time the EU gave Poland several months to respond to its guidance on how to restore the constitutional court’s authority or face losing its voting rights, Warsaw replied at the last minute by accusing bureaucrats in Brussels of being stupid. It’s the first ever probe into rule of law in an EU member state.

Bloomberg News