ECJ Has No Grounds To Prosecute Poland For Country's Judicial Reform - Warsaw

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 12th December, 2018) Polish Deputy Foreign Minister Konrad Szymanski said Tuesday that the EU Court of Justice (ECJ) had no longer grounds for prosecution of Poland for its judicial reform as the law on the Polish Supreme Court was recently amended.

"It can be said with total confidence that the recent revision of the law on the Supreme Court eliminates the legal basis for bringing this case to the ECJ ... This case as well as the vast majority of the issues raised regarding the previous text of the law lack legal grounds," Szymanski told journalists prior to the EU General Affairs Council meeting in Brussels.

Szymanski also noted that the Polish side would welcome the European Commission's assessment of the recent changes in the country's judicial system, though warning Brussels against the use of this case for political purposes.

The law on the Polish Supreme Court comprised various changes, in particular, the retirement age for Supreme Court judges was lowered from 70 to 65, allowing only those who received the president's approval to keep their jobs.

The European Union sharply criticized Poland's judicial reform saying that it undermines the independence of Polish courts. The European Commission has sent several letters to the Polish government with its recommendations and stated its readiness to invoke Article 7 of the Lisbon Treaty, which would suspend Poland's membership rights in the European Union, such as voting in the European Council.

In November, Polish lawmakers amended the law, enabling judges who were forced to retire after reaching the age of 65 to return to office in the Supreme Court and the Supreme Administrative Court, however, the newly appointed judges of the Supreme Court would still retire at the age of 65.