EU starts legal action against Poland over new law

Poland protests against European Commission's interference saying EU's fears about its court reform are 'unfounded'.

Poland protests against European Commission's interference saying EU's fears about its court reform are 'unfounded'
Poland protests against European Commission's interference saying EU's fears about its court reform are 'unfounded'

The European Union has announced that it launched legal action against Poland’s right-wing government on a new law that allows the justice minister to replace the chief justices of common courts.

Saturday, a day after Poland published the law following approval by the country’s President Andrzej Duda despite mass protests staged in the country against the legislation

Warsaw has one month to reply to the Commission letter, which "raises concerns that [...] the independence of Polish courts will be undermined", an EU executive said in a statement to AlJazeera.

The action eventually could lead to Poland being hauled before the bloc’s highest court, the European Court of Justice and possibly fined.

The Commission has also warned of even tougher measures if the governing Law and Justice Party (PiS), which has raised EU concerns since winning the Polish elections in late 2015, forges ahead with deeper court reforms.

Duda’s chief of staff Krzysztof Szczerski warned that the Commission has “entered a path that leads nowhere”, insisting that organisation of the courts was under the sovereignty of member states.
"At a certain point, a reversal will be obligatory" for the Commission, which will face "increasingly high" costs each step it takes, Szczerski told PAP news agency.

Poland's deputy foreign minister for European affairs, Konrad Szymanski, said the new law carried proper guarantees and the EU action was "unfounded".