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WORLD NEWS Wednesday 27 June 2018

No headway seen from EU hearing on Poland's justice policies

By LORNE COOK munist-era judges still on
MONIKA SCISLOWSKA the bench.
BRUSSELS (AP) — Poland As part of the overhaul, a
faced questions from its new Supreme Court law
European Union partners that takes effect on July 3
Tuesday over an overhaul could lead to the forced
of its judicial system that is resignation of nearly 40
seen as a violation of West- percent of current judges.
ern democratic standards, Any wishing to stay could
while also taking the oppor- do so only if the president
tunity to explain its reasons agrees.
for the contested changes. The new laws also cre-
In an unprecedented ated a new "extraordinary
move, the EU's European appeal" chamber within
Commission launched the Supreme Court which
a rule of law procedure could reopen cases from
against the Polish gov- the previous 20 years on
ernment over an alleged appeal from the prosecu-
erosion of judicial inde- tor general, who is also the
pendence in the country. justice minister, or the om-
Technically, the procedure People gather in front of the European Union office to protest the government's judiciary policy, in budsman.
could result in Poland losing Warsaw, Poland, Tuesday, June 26, 2018. "The possibility that verdicts
its EU voting rights, though Associated Press can be actually brought
that is unlikely. into doubt for a period of
The hearing on Tuesday Critics of the Polish gov- Morawiecki said he "de- self-cleansing." 20 years is quite unique,"
was a step in the process, ernment and the judicial plored" the fact that the Critics, however, see a Dutch minister Blok said.
but did not seem to deliver overhaul protested in front EU's so-called Article 7 pro- power grab. Some have Luxembourg Foreign Min-
meaningful progress. of the EU's Warsaw office cedure wasn't closed after argued that nearly 30 years ister Jean Asselborn also
Frans Timmermans, the while the hearing was un- Poland showed "good will after the fall of commu- expressed concern about
commission's first vice presi- derway in Brussels. and readiness for com- nism, there are no longer a changes to the judges'
dent, said the participants The overhaul of the Polish promise" by making some significant number of com- terms.q
did not get an indication justice system began after amendments to its judicial
the Polish government the populist Law and Jus- laws this year at the urging
would accept more of the tice party came to power of the European Commis-
commission's recommen- in 2015. The party says it is sion.
dations for compliance. trying to reform a corrupt Morawiecki also defended
"We need to solve this issue justice system that it claims the new judicial laws, say-
in a European way, through is overseen by an unac- ing they are needed to
dialogue. It is essential for countable clique of judges. reform a branch of govern-
the common future," Tim- The changes include giv- ment power that was nev-
mermans said. ing the executive and leg- er properly democratized
Poland's deputy foreign islative branches greater after communism ended in
minister, Konrad Szymanski, control over the judiciary, Poland.
answered questions during which opponents say could "Our partners don't under-
the hearing. He said after- weaken the democratic stand what the post-com-
ward it was not clear what system of checks and bal- munist reality looks like,"
the next steps would be in ances. Morawiecki told a news
a dispute that had all con- Speaking in Warsaw, Pol- conference. "The justice
cerned in "unknown land." ish Prime Minister Mateusz system had a problem with