Poland faces 'consequences' if exits women's rights treaty - France

French President Emmanuel Macron's European Affairs advisor Clement Beaune leaves the Elysee palace in Paris, France on August 29, 2017. (REUTERS File Photo)

French President Emmanuel Macron's European Affairs advisor Clement Beaune leaves the Elysee palace in Paris, France on August 29, 2017. (REUTERS File Photo)

PARIS, July 29 (Reuters): Poland would face possible financial consequences if it pulled out from a European treaty on preventing violence against women, France's junior minister for Europeans affairs said on Wednesday.

Earlier this month, Poland's justice minister, who represents a smaller right-wing party within the ruling coalition, said he would request steps to begin the process of withdrawing from the treaty, known as the Istanbul Convention.

France's Clément Beaune said Poland could be "hit in the wallet" thanks to new mechanisms in the EU budget if it withdrew from the treaty. "There will be consequences if it does," Beaune told France Inter radio.