The Court of Justice of the European Union’s Advocate General Evgeni Tanchev in an opinion published today said that Poland has failed to uphold the independence of its Supreme Court.
Reacting to the statement, the European Green Party co-leading candidate and Greens/EFA co-president in the European Parliament Ska Keller said:
“The opinion by the advocate general makes it clear that Polish legislation relating to the lowering of the retirement age for Supreme Court judges is contrary to EU law. We cannot sit back and allow the ruling Law and Justice party to hijack the judiciary and trample over fundamental European rights. Poland must ensure the irremovability of its judges and guarantee their independence. Legislation implemented in Poland that allows the President to have the final say on whether a judge can continue to practice destroys the country’s balance of power.”
“It is now imperative that Polish ministers act swiftly to redress the situation in compliance with EU law by guaranteeing that its judicial system is free from political bias. We also call on the European Council to take a more proactive role through the Article 7 procedure in making sure Poland revisits these ill-considered and undemocratic judicial reforms,” she added.
