EU warns Poland over political firing of judges

THE European Union has said it will threaten Poland with swift legal action if it begins dismissing judges under a controversial law signed yesterday by President Andrzej Duda.

Mr Duda gave the green light to a bill which would allow Poland’s ruling Law and Justice party to hire and fire its own judges in the country’s ordinary courts.

But he vetoed two other bills which would have given the government the same powers over the Supreme Court and the National Council of Judiciary.

Those were vetoed as they risked handing too much power to the country’s justice minister. The proposals had sparked days of street protests by critics who said the reforms would grant political control over the judiciary.

Supporters say the bills would lead to necessary changes to a judicial system that many Poles feel is corrupt and inefficient. An EU official said the bloc would push ahead with legal action against Poland if the reforms led to politicians dismissing judges. “For us the ultimate aim is to stop the firing of judges,” said the official, who spoke anonymously to Reuters ahead of a European Commission meeting today.

“Tomorrow there will be a supplementary rule of law recommendation to account for the latest developments, obviously with clear deadlines for Poland to submit replies or change the laws.” If Poland did not react, Article 7, designed to punish a member state that refuses to respect the bloc’s common law and values, would be invoked.