Poland, EU ‘confident’ about solving row over top court

Poland’s right-wing government and the European Commission said yesterday that they were upbeat about finding a solution that would roll back Warsaw’s overhaul of the top Polish court, which critics warn endangers its independence.
However, neither side provided details about the measures meant to change controversial legislation introduced by the Law and Justice (PiS) government that has paralysed the constitutional court.
“I am confident we are moving towards finding a sustainable solution to this problem,” European Commission vice president Frans Timmermans told reporters in Warsaw after talks with Prime Minister Beata Szydlo.
Szydlo said that changes her government plans are intended to heal the situation around the Constitutional Tribunal and fulfil the principles of a democratic state with the rule of law”.
The conciliatory tone comes just five days after Szydlo accused Brussels of violating Poland’s sovereignty and vowed that Warsaw would never bow to any EU ultimatum on the Constitutional Tribunal.
“We both agree this is a matter that Poland must resolve itself, but as an EU member we are always open to dialogue and providing information about our steps,” Szydlo said.
Last week the Commission empowered Timmermans to adopt an “opinion” on the state of the rule of law in Poland on Monday, in the event Szydlo’s government failed to make progress on finding a resolution to the crisis over the weekend.
The Monday deadline came and went, without any action by the commissioner.
The European Commission – the EU’s executive arm – in January launched an unprecedented probe to see if changes by Szydlo’s party to the constitutional court violated EU democracy rules and merited punitive measures.
Warsaw is unlikely to be subject to any punitive measures by Brussels over its controversial legislative moves, which also include tightening the government’s grip on public media.
Poland’s regional ally Hungary has vowed to torpedo any possible sanctions, which would require the unanimous approval of all 28 EU members.