Poland’s controversial disciplinary chamber for judges is to be replaced by a new body.
(Photo: Reuters)
Warsaw In a dispute with the European Union over the independence of its judiciary, Poland’s parliament has voted to abolish the controversial disciplinary body for judges. According to the draft passed on Thursday, this is to be replaced by a new body.
This should clear the way for EU aid worth billions to recover from the coronavirus pandemic. EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is expected in Warsaw next week. The Commission has assessed the Disciplinary Chamber as a threat to the independence of the judges. In October, the European Court of Justice ordered Poland to pay a fine of one million euros a day because the government in Warsaw initially refused to dissolve the disciplinary chamber.
At the beginning of February, President Andrzej Duda announced that he wanted to abolish the disciplinary body, which has been widely criticized by the EU. “We don’t need this dispute,” said Duda at the time. Another body should replace the chamber. Judges suspended in the course of the judicial reform are to be reinstated as required. He wanted to give the government a tool to end the dispute with the commission.
The introduction of the Disciplinary Chamber was a core part of the 2018 judicial reform in Poland. It can dismiss any judge and prosecutor. In October, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) ordered Poland to pay fines of one million euros a day until the chamber is abolished.
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In addition, the Chamber of Poland blocked the way to the funds from the reconstruction fund. Before distributing these, the EU Commission must check whether the money in the recipient country is subject to clean, rule-of-law control by the judiciary. However, there is still no law that the EU could use to assess whether the announced changes will meet the requirements.
As early as August, Deputy Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski, who is considered the most powerful man in Polish politics, announced that the controversial disciplinary chamber would soon be dissolved because it was not living up to expectations anyway.
More: Poland’s President wants to settle the conflict with the EU