Several measures taken by the previous government were declared unconstitutional in a resolution that, although not yet binding, should define the course for the future.
Warsaw. In Poland, the recently elected parliament paved the way for the first steps towards reversing the previous government's controversial judicial reform. Deputies voted in favor of an initially non-binding resolution declaring several measures of the replaced PiS government unconstitutional. The central issue is the composition of the influential State Judicial Council. Its members were illegally appointed and must resign, the resolution states.
The resolution has only symbolic meaning, Justice Minister Adam Bodnar said before parliament, according to PAP news agency. “This shows that we simply have a constitutional problem with one of the bodies that are of great importance.”
Under the national-conservative PiS government, Poland has been on a path of confrontation with the EU in several problem areas in recent years. Due to doubts about the rule of law, PiS's judicial reform has come under particularly harsh criticism in Brussels. Billions of EU funds for Poland were therefore frozen. Poland's new pro-European government, under Prime Minister Donald Tusk, now wants to reverse judicial reform.
Government influence
On Wednesday, deputies clearly voted in favor of the resolution on the State Judicial Council by 239 to 169. However, the current president, Andrzej Duda, has repeatedly supported PiS's judicial reform, which could make his withdrawal difficult, despite the parliamentary decision. vote. He could, for example, refuse to sign a corresponding law. The State Judicial Council itself stated that the adoption of the resolution undermined confidence in constitutional bodies and the legal system. It triggers a conflict that has the potential for a constitutional crisis. The body plays an important role in the appointment of supreme judges and in disciplinary proceedings; He is appointed by parliament, which in turn gives the government influence. (APA/Portal)