The European Commission has referred Poland to the top European court over concerns that new laws strip judges of their independence. Investigations and even sanctions are expected to follow.
The European Commission filed a case on Thursday against Poland over a controversial new disciplinary regime that fails to protect court judges from political influence.
The Commission said the legislation violates the principles of judicial independence and brought the issue to the European Court of Justice.
For breaches of EU law, we pursue legal action against Member States for failing to comply with their obligations. We refer Poland to the Court of Justice of the EU to protect judges from political control. More ↓https://t.co/8hAc5lEvSM
“Judges are not insulated from political control and thus judicial independence is violated,” the EU executive said in a statement. The executive also argued that the legislation means that current law means “there is no reasonable time frame” in which cases are processed.
The Commission also tweeted that they “engage in ongoing dialogue with members states who do not respect EU law.”
The judicial reforms were introduced by Poland’s ruling conservative Law and Justice Party (PiS). The laws will now be subject to investigation and potential sanctions.
The news comes ahead of nationwide elections in Poland this Sunday. The PiS are widely expected to win a second term in office.
