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Poland's President Andrzej Duda named 27 new judges to the Supreme Court on Wednesday as part of a judiciary reform pursued by the ruling nationalist party that has triggered a European Union lawsuit over alleged dismantling of rule of law norms.
The move was made despite a high court having ordered a hold on judicial appointments, which were made under recommendations of serving judges, rather than politicians, before the arch-conservative PiS party won election in 2015.
The perceived politicization of the judiciary has drawn fire from the EU, Poland's own liberal and centrist opposition and civic rights groups.
The Supreme Court in Warsaw, Poland, August 13, 2018.
Through legislation and personnel changes, critics say, the Law and Justice (PiS) party has taken de facto control of much of the judiciary including the constitutional court and prosecutors.
The government says the changes are needed to improve the efficiency of the courts.
"This way (new judge appointments), another stage of the judiciary reform has been carried out, a very important one... that is, restoring the foundations of confidence in the judiciary," Pawel Mucha, deputy head of Duda's chancellery, said at a news conference.
Poland's judicial oversight body, the KRS, which recommends judicial appointments to the president, was until 2015 staffed mainly by judges chosen by other judges; now they are chosen mainly by PiS officials.
Last month, the Supreme Administrative Court ruled that the procedure of appointing new Supreme Court judges be put on hold, but Mucha said this decision was not binding on the president.
Earlier this year, the PiS passed legislation forcing into early retirement more than a third of judges at the Supreme Court.
Poland's President Andrzej Duda speaks during the UN General Assembly meeting in New York, US, September 26, 2018.
The reforms have led to protests in Poland and also drawn concern from the European Union. Last month, the EU referred Poland to its top court for a move that it says violates the independence of its supreme court. The Luxembourg-based European Court of Justice could impose fines if it finds Poland in breach of EU law.
The EU first sounded the alarm over Polish judicial reforms shortly after the PiS won elections in 2015. Brussels has since engaged in more than two years of talks.
In December, the European Commission triggered unprecedented proceedings against Poland under Article 7 of the EU treaty, citing "systemic threats" to the rule of law. While this could eventually see Warsaw's EU voting rights suspended, Warsaw's neighbor Hungary has vowed to veto any such penalty.
(AFP&REUTERS)
