EU 'will start collapsing' unless it takes on Polish challenge - official

FILE PHOTO: European Commissioner for Values and Transparency Vera Jourova attends a weekly college Meeting of the European Commission in Brussels, Belgium, September 29, 2021. Stephanie Lecocq/Pool via REUTERS

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union "will start collapsing" unless it challenges a ruling by Poland's top court that national legislation trumps European laws, a senior official with the bloc said on Monday.

Poland's constitutional tribunal ruled against the central tenet of European integration last week, sharply escalating a row over fundamental values between eurosceptics ruling in Warsaw and most of the other 27 EU countries.