"There is no question of mutual trust today": EP
22:47
There was another heated debate in the European Parliament regarding the judicial system in Poland. The invited Minister of Justice, Zbigniew Ziobro, did not take part in the meeting.
The Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs of the European Parliament raised, inter alia, the functioning of the Constitutional Tribunal and the legality of its judgments, the retirement system of Supreme Court judges, the composition and functioning of the Supreme Court's Disciplinary and Extraordinary Audit Chamber and the newly elected National Council of the Judiciary.
MEPs also dealt with the issue of regulations governing the organization of common courts and the status of the Prosecutor General and the organization of prosecution services.
EU commissioner Dider Reynders expressed his concern about the situation of prosecutors in Poland, who are seconded to new jobs "as a punishment", without the possibility of appeal. He emphasized that only in January this year, as many as twenty such cases have taken place.
“The Minister of Justice exercises the powers of the Public Prosecutor General. He can intervene in hearings, and his political considerations can influence the course of the trials. This is very worrying,” the Belgian pointed out.
He also stressed the lack of impartiality of the First President of the Supreme Court and the actions of the Disciplinary Chamber:
"The European Commission takes seriously its duty as guardian of the treaties," he added.
“The situation regarding the rule of law in Poland gives us serious cause for concern. The REC is completely determined to use all the tools at its disposal to react. We will act decisively,” Reynders stressed.
This is yet another debate on the rule of law in Poland in the EP. The dispute over this topic flared up in 2017.
