EU Commission Seeks Fines On Poland Over Judicial Independence Tiff

The European Commission (EC) is asking the European Court of Justice (ECJ) to slap daily fines on Poland for failing to heed rulings on its Supreme Court disciplinary chamber, escalating a row about judicial independence.

Photo Insert: EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen

"Justice systems across the European Union must be independent and fair," commission President Ursula von der Leyen noted in a written statement announcing the move on Tuesday, Ella Joyner reported for Deutsche Presse-Agentur (dpa).

In mid-July, the top EU court found that the Polish Supreme Court's disciplinary chamber did not guarantee impartiality and independence, and therefore infringed against EU law.

Established in 2018, the chamber is able to dismiss any judge or prosecutor, leading some to fear it could be used to reprimand judges for insubordinate decisions, hampering their independence.

The commission, which initiated the ECJ proceedings against Warsaw, gave Poland one month to explain how it would implement the Luxembourg-based high court's decisions. Otherwise, it would face financial sanctions.

In August, Warsaw assured Brussels it would drop the contested chamber by implementing reforms within months. But this response did not satisfy the EU executive branch, which acts as the guardian of the bloc's treaties.

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