Venice Commission will check surveillance law

The Monitoring Committee of the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly has decided to send Poland's new law on the police and secret services to the Venice Commission to assess whether it complies with Council of Europe standards. According to unofficial information, the commission may proceed with the matter in June. The "surveillance" act gives greater freedom to government workers and public services in their acquisition of data. This has attracted some controversy, with government ombudsman Adam Bodnar declaring on the same day that he will file a complaint with the Constitutional Court about certain subsections of the bill. The Venice Commission is currently proceeding with the assessment of the Constitutional Tribunal law. On Tuesday, their delegates concluded a two-day visit to Poland, during which they met Polish officials and judges.