Council of Europe to draw up report on democracy in Poland
PR dla Zagranicy
Paweł Kononczuk
28.05.2016 09:15
The Parliamentary Assembly of rights body the Council of Europe has decided to draw up a report on the state of democracy in Poland, according to the IAR news agency.
Photo: Flickr.com/Kancelaria Premiera
The move follows concerns voiced by international institutions and politicians abroad at sweeping changes pushed through by Poland’s conservative Law and Justice party, which came to power in October.
The decision to prepare a report on Poland, including on the ongoing crisis over its Constitutional Tribunal, was taken in a vote by representatives of 46 parliaments of Council of Europe member countries, meeting in the Estonian capital, Tallinn.
The report is to be drawn up by the monitoring committee of the Parliamentary Assembly. Two rapporteurs – from different political factions – are to be appointed in June.
In January, the European Commission said it was starting a "rule-of-law" probe into whether controversial laws pushed through by the Law and Justice party violate EU standards.
In March, the Venice Commission, an advisory group to the Council of Europe, warned that the rule of law, democracy and human rights were in danger as long as Poland was embroiled in a constitutional crisis.
Political stalemate
Poland has been locked in a political stalemate after the Law and Justice party introduced sweeping reforms to the Constitutional Tribunal and other institutions, prompting anti-government protests and criticism from the EU.
The tribunal has rejected PiS-backed changes which, critics say, are designed to paralyse the court and prevent it from scuppering new laws passed by parliament. PiS, in turn, has refused to recognize that ruling by the tribunal, claiming it is invalid. (pk)
Source: IAR