Poland’s lower house of parliament has approved a bill to adjust controversial justice reforms in the hope that this will facilitate the release of billions of euros in post-corona aid frozen by the European Commission over violations of the rule of law.
A majority of MPs gave the green light to the bill proposed by the ruling conservative PiS party. After approval by the Sejm, the lower house, the bill must now go through the Senate.
Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki spoke of a “difficult compromise” aimed primarily at ending the conflict with the European Union. “We must end the dispute in the West because the real enemy, the real opponent, is in the East and I believe all Poles are perfectly aware of this,” he was quoted as saying by the Polish news agency PAP.
The ruling PiS, in power since 2015, had completely reformed the country’s courts, including its Supreme Court, to which it added, in 2018, a disciplinary chamber empowered to dismiss any judge or prosecutor. In July 2021, the European Court of Justice ruled that Poland thereby violated European law.
At least €23.9 billion in grants and €11.5 billion in loans
In July 2022, the disciplinary chamber was permanently dissolved. Instead, a “chamber of professional accountability” was created at the Supreme Court. However, that change did not meet all of the European Commission’s conditions.
The draft law now passed by the parliament in Warsaw stipulates, among other things, that in future the Supreme Administrative Court will be responsible for disciplinary cases instead of the Supreme Court.
The bill could help unblock billions of euros in European Union funds withheld in a continuing row between Warsaw and Brussels over the rule of law in Poland, news agencies reported.
At stake is at least €23.9 billion in grants and €11.5 billion in loans from the EU’s pandemic relief fund withheld from Poland’s National Recovery Plan, officials said.
An 'important step'
So far, the European Commission has not yet made a clear statement on whether the new bill meets its conditions for releasing the funds. In an initial statement on Friday, it spoke of an “important step.”
Commission President Ursula van der Leyen stressed that the bill still had to pass the Polish Senate.
A Commission spokesman said the next steps would be closely monitored and the bill would be analysed in its final form.
The Polish government is eager to receive the first tranche from the EU’s relief fund as soon as possible. Parliamentary elections in Poland are scheduled for Autumn and the government needs the money so that its positive effects can be felt in time.
