Polish PM blasts Brussels in row over legal changes

Mateusz Morawiecki told reporters that an ongoing row between Warsaw and the European Commission was fuelled by a lack of understanding of reforms carried out by Poland’s ruling conservatives.

"In relation to matters linked to the Supreme Court we are constantly conducting dialogue, but as we can see the European Commission has decided to take a step that breaks off this dialogue to some extent, or perhaps to a large degree," said Morawiecki.

His comments came a day after the European Commission, the EU’s executive arm, decided to refer Poland to the Court of Justice of the European Union over what Brussels said were violations of the judicial independence of the country's Supreme Court.

Poland's governing Law and Justice (PiS) party, which came to power in late 2015, has said that sweeping changes are needed to reform an inefficient and sometimes corrupt judicial system tainted by the communist past, accusing judges of being an elite, self-serving clique often out of touch with the problems of ordinary citizens.

But according to the European Commission, new Polish rules on the Supreme Court which set a retirement age for judges broke the principles of judicial independence and irremovability of judges.

Warsaw and Brussels have been at odds over the rule of law in Poland after the ruling conservative Law and Justice party introduced a slew of changes to the country's judiciary.

The European Commission last December took the unprecedented step of triggering Article 7 of the EU Treaty against Poland.

Since then, the commission launched separate procedures against Warsaw in response to the more recent Supreme Court reforms.

(pk)

Source: PAP