EC 'lacks professionalism': Polish justice minister

Ziobro said the commission's quick rejection of Warsaw's lengthy response showed Brussels had an agenda against Poland.

The European Commission sent Poland a set of recommendations as part of its rule of law procedure and gave Warsaw until last Saturday to respond.

Foreign Minister Witold Waszczykowski sent Brussels a 12-page answer on Monday in which he said the European Commission did not have jurisdiction over Poland's judiciary.

But the next day, European Commission spokeswoman Vanessa Mock refuted the Polish response.

“It is surprising... such behaviour shows a certain lack of professionalism and we should expect more from the European Commission,” Ziobro said.

He added that “dialogue and discussion require familiarity with the argument”, but that the Polish response “could not have been analysed in such a short time”.

He also referred to an interview in Germany's Die Zeit newspaper in which former Polish Justice Minister Borys Budka reportedly said “the European Union must give Poland an ultimatum” which “must at the same time show that it is not directed against Poles but against the government”.

Meanwhile, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and European Commission head Jean-Claude Juncker are expected to discuss concerns over the rule of law in Poland during a meeting on Wednesday in Berlin.

Poland has been embroiled in a rule of law dispute with the European Commission for more than a year.

The governing Law and Justice party made sweeping changes to the constitutional court after its election in late 2015. Tensions with Brussels were exacerbated by Poland's recent planned changes to the judiciary which would have given elected officials significant powers to appoint and dismiss judges.

Poland's allegedly illegal logging in a protected forest -- the last remaining primaeval forest in the European Union -- and reinstated, varied retirement ages for the sexes, which have been called “gender discrimination”, have added further fuel to the fire.

Warsaw has also butted heads with Brussels over a 2015 EU decision to resettle Middle Eastern and African migrants in a bid to relieve pressure on Italy and Greece, and is lobbying against EU laws under which Polish truck drivers will be paid at least the minimum wage of the country they are in. (vb/pk)

Source: PAP