Polish president’s veto may be chance for dialogue with EU: German gov’t

The veto decision “may be a chance to renew dialogue between the commission and Poland," said spokeswoman Ulrike Demmer at a press conference in Berlin.

She added the German government is “very carefully” observing both Warsaw’s plans to reform the judiciary and protests by civil society in Poland.

The European Commission last Wednesday said it was ready to take action against Poland for violating EU laws, warning that a controversial overhaul of the country's judicial system threatens the independence of courts.

But Polish President Andrzej Duda said on Monday he would veto two controversial government-backed bills to overhaul the country’s courts, amid a political storm over the judiciary.

Thousands have taken to the streets across Poland over the last week to protest at plans by Poland's ruling conservative Law and Justice (PiS) party to change the judicial system.

Polish Foreign Minister Witold Waszczykowski told politicians in Berlin “not to interfere" after Germany’s justice minister previously warned Warsaw could face political isolation over its court reforms.

PiS has said sweeping changes are needed to reform an inefficient and sometimes corrupt judicial system, accusing judges of being an elite, self-serving clique often out of touch with the problems of ordinary citizens.

(pk)

Source: PAP

See Polish Radio’s article on how judges are selected across Europe, including in Germany