EC waiting for progress by Polish gov't on Tribunal
PR dla Zagranicy
Roberto Galea
26.05.2016 12:17
The deputy head of the European Commission, Frans Timmermans, said that he is waiting for progress by Poland's Law and Justice (PiS) government to resolve the dispute over the Constitutional Tribunal.
Frans Timmermans. Photo: PAP/Radek Pietruszka
"What is needed is progress in the three areas we discussed with Prime Minister [Beata] Szydło. The Prime Minister promised this and now we are waiting it,” the deputy head of the European Commission told Polish journalists in Brussels on Wednesday evening.
On Tuesday, after talks with Timmermans in Warsaw, Polish Prime Minister Szydło said that she wants a compromise solution to a crisis over the country’s Constitutional Tribunal.
Szydło added she and Timmermans agreed that an ongoing row over the tribunal, which has caused bitter divisions in Poland and concern abroad, “is obviously a matter that Poland must resolve on its own, internally.”
Szydło said her meeting with Timmermans was “constructive”, adding: “The Polish government has proposed solutions that could be adopted by parliament, [and they] fulfill all the conditions to resolve the dispute around the tribunal."
Political deadlock
Poland is locked in a political stalemate after the conservative Law and Justice party, which came to power in October, introduced sweeping reforms to the Constitutional Tribunal and other institutions.
The moves have drawn criticism at home and abroad. The tribunal has rejected PiS-backed changes to the way it functions. PiS, in turn, has refused to recognise that ruling by the tribunal, claiming it is invalid. (rg)