EU tells Poland to reverse judicial reforms

Poland yesterday denounced the EU's decision to initiate unprecedented disciplinary proceedings against it over planned judicial reforms, which Brussels says threaten the rule of law.

"Poland deplores the European Commission's launch of the procedure foreseen in Article 7, which is essentially political, not legal" in nature, the foreign ministry said in a statement, adding that it risks undermining "mutual trust".

The Article 7 disciplinary procedure, which has never been used before, could ultimately lead to Poland losing its voting rights in the EU.

Commission Vice President Frans Timmermans told reporters in Brussels that 13 laws adopted by Poland in the space of two years had created a situation where the government "can systematically politically interfere with the composition, powers, the administration and the functioning" of judicial authorities.

Poland's rightwing Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki shot back on Twitter that "Poland is as devoted to the rule of law as the rest of the EU."

He said that the "current judiciary reform is deeply needed", echoing the governing Law and Justice party (PiS), which says the reforms are needed to banish the last traces of communism from public life nearly three decades after its collapse.

"The dialogue between the Commission and Warsaw needs to be both open and honest. I believe that Poland's sovereignty and the idea of United Europe can be reconciled," Morawiecki said.