EU court, legislature up pressure on Poland over rule-of-law

By RAF CASERT
Associated Press

BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union is increasing pressure on member nation Poland. The 27-nation bloc’s top court ruled Tuesday that the country’s right-wing government has undermined judicial independence. Ruling on the Polish justice minister’s powers to endorse judges for high criminal courts and to end their terms without proper explanation, the European Court of Justice said that “EU law precludes the regime in force.” Meanwhile, the EU parliament’s major groups are seeking to deny pandemic recovery funds until Warsaw meets rule-of-law standards. Relations between EU institutions and Poland have become increasingly acrimonious since the conservative Law and Justice party gained power in 2015 and started revamping Poland’s judiciary.