Foreign Minister Witold Waszczykowski rejected the claims by Gianni Buquicchio, president of the Venice Commission, an advisory group to rights body the Council of Europe.
"In Warsaw, I have not heard of there being problems with the Constitutional Tribunal,” Waszczykowski said.
In a statement, Buquicchio said it was “alarming that it is systematically made impossible for the Tribunal” to carry out its role of ensuring respect for human rights, the rule of law and democratic principles in Poland.
Buquicchio added: “Following the attempts to influence the work of the [Polish] Tribunal by means of legislative amendments, which were criticised by the Venice Commission, practical steps are now taken with the apparent aim to ensure that the Tribunal act in accordance with the will of the current political majority.”
He claimed that such steps included the election of a new head of the Polish Tribunal “on the basis of a questionable procedure” and a recent challenge by Poland’s Attorney General to the 2010 election of three Tribunal judges.
But Poland's Waszczykowski said a new head of the Tribunal had been appointed recently and the issue was closed.
"Perhaps the head of the [Venice] Commission read old newspapers and has old information [and] has not seen how things have changed in a positive direction in Warsaw," he added.
Waszczykowski said the European Commission would also be informed about changes in Poland, including to the Constitutional Tribunal. The government in Warsaw is to respond next month to concerns voiced by Brussels.
Simmering row
Warsaw has been locked in a simmering row with EU institutions and politicians who have accused Poland’s conservative Law and Justice (PiS) party of eroding democracy since coming to power in late 2015.
PiS, which has pushed through sweeping legal and other reforms, has denied such charges.
It has argued it was unfair that a constitutional court with a majority of judges appointed under the previous parliament should be able to scupper flagship policies for which the party secured a mandate in democratic elections.
Venice Commission 'biased'
The Polish authorities last year accused the Venice Commission of “bias” and “unreliability”.
In a non-binding opinion issued in October, the Venice Commission said a July law on the Constitutional Tribunal could “possibly make its work ineffective, as well as undermine its independence.” (pk)
Source: PAP/IAR