EU launches legal action against Poland over court rulings

Brussels, Dec 23 : The European Union (EU) is to take legal action against Poland for violating EU law and compromising judicial independence, its executive has announced.

The action is an escalation of a rule-of-law wrangle between Brussels and Warsaw over rulings made by Polands top court, which this year found key elements of EU law to be incompatible with the countrys constitution, Xinhua news agency reported.

The European Commission announced in a statement it was taking action over "serious concerns" regarding the rulings by the Polish Constitutional Tribunal in July and October.These rulings "expressly" challenged the primacy of EU law, the Commission said, adding that Poland now has two months to respond to the complaint.

The Commission has "serious doubts about the independence and impartiality" of Polands Constitutional Tribunal, which "no longer meets the requirements of a tribunal previously established by law."Brussels can bring infringement procedures against member states when they do not respect or fully implement EU laws.The first step is an exchange of letters, but cases can be taken before the European Court of Justice (ECJ) and result in financial penalties.

The ECJ had previously ruled against Polands lifting of the immunity of certain judges, and dismissing of those deemed unacceptable by the parliament.The Commission is also dissatisfied with a 2019 Polish law prohibiting the countrys courts from interpreting some areas of EU law, and from submitting legal matters to the ECJ."Weve tried to engage in a dialogue but the situation is not improving," the EUs Justice Commissioner Didier Reynders posted on Twitter."Fundamentals of the EU legal order, notably the primacy of EU law, must be respected.

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EU initiates legal action against Poland for ignoring court decision

The ECJ has previously ruled against Poland lifting immunity for certain judges and dismissing those deemed unacceptable by the parliamentA 2019 Polish law that prohibits the courts of the country from interpreting certain areas of EU law and submitting legal issues to the ECJ has also disappointed the Commission.Didier Reynders, the EUs Justice Commissioner posted on Twitter: "We tried to engage with a dialog but the situation isnt improving." It is important to respect the fundamentals of the EUs legal system, particularly the primacy and supremacy of EU law.#Poland #Twitter.