Brussels discusses rule of law in Poland

According to Polish Radio correspondent Beata Płomecka, in a 15-minute meeting, European Commission Vice-President Frans Timmermans mainly spoke about Poland’s contested Supreme Court reforms.

Timmermans referred to Brussels' case against Warsaw in the Court of Justice of the European Union, which saw the top European Union court suspend the Polish reforms, Płomecka said.

According to Timmermans, Poland’s planned further reforms are unnecessary and Poland should revert to its old Supreme Court law, Płomecka added.

Polish Ambassador to the European Union Andrzej Sadoś said the Polish government was preparing a response to the European Commission’s concerns.

The European Commission in October launched a procedure against Poland over the Supreme Court reforms at the European Union court.

The commission requested that the reform of the Supreme Court is suspended until European judges rule on the Polish reforms, which Brussels claimed undermined the "irremovability of judges" and the independence of the judiciary.

The reform saw a number of judges aged 65 and over forced into retirement.

But Poland has defended the reform as "much needed".

Since coming into power in late 2015, the ruling conservative Law and Justice party has introduced sweeping judicial changes to reform what it claims is an inefficient and sometimes corrupt judicial system.

Those changes previously landed Poland in hot water.

The European Commission last December took the unprecedented step of triggering Article 7 of the EU Treaty against Poland, stepping up pressure on Warsaw over controversial changes to the judicial system by the country’s ruling conservatives. (vb)

Source: IAR