European Interest

No end yet to EU-Poland court standoff

Flickr/Sejm RP/CC BY 2.0
In comments to reporters after the meeting, the Polish PM Mateusz Morawiecki said, “we are constantly focused on finding a solution”.

The European Union remains unsatisfied with the changes to Polish courts that Brussels says violate European democratic standards. A meeting between Poland’s Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki and the European Commission’s first vice-president, Frans Timmermans, ended with no real progress on June 18.

In comments to reporters after the meeting, Timmermans said it was “constructive”, while the Polish leader said, “we are constantly focused on finding a solution”.

As reported by The Associated Press (AP), they did not report a compromise and did not let reporters ask questions.

Meanwhile, Poland’s ruling Law and Justice insists it is fixing a corrupt and unaccountable court system. The EU sees an erosion of the democratic system of checks and balances.

All the while, time is running out with a disputed law on the Supreme Court to take effect July 3.

According to Radio Poland online noted that Polish Foreign Minister Jacek Czaputowicz had issued a statement last week in defence of his country’s right to reform its justice system.

However, Brussels has been stepping up pressure on Warsaw – declaring the rule of law in the country was under threat. In December, the Commission took the unprecedented step of triggering Article 7 of the EU Treaty against Poland.

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