WARSAW — Poland’s government hit back Wednesday after the European Parliament launched action over concerns that the right-wing government in Warsaw has compromised the independence of the judiciary and risks breaching fundamental European values.

Prime Minister Beata Szydlo described the events in the Parliament — where a bitter debate preceded the vote — as ‘‘scandalous.’’ The Foreign Ministry called the resolution a ‘‘political instrument of pressure on Poland,’’ describing the document as ‘‘one-sided’’ and saying it was based on political considerations and not on legal analysis.

In a resolution adopted by 438 to 152, with 71 abstentions, the European lawmakers triggered the first stage of a so-called rule-of-law procedure against the Polish government on Wednesday.

The procedure could lead to the suspensions of Poland’s EU voting rights.

The assembly’s Civil Liberties Committee must now draw up a legal proposal to formally request that the mechanism — known as Article 7 — be activated due to a ‘‘clear risk of a serious breach’’ of EU values.

associated press