Protests in Poland against forced retirement of judges; government rejects accusations / Article / LSM.LV



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Poland has the right to form its judicial system, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Moravecki announced on Wednesday in the European Parliament (EP). He rejected critics and concerns about the reform of the justice system in Poland, which, in the opinion of critics, undermines the rule of law.

A new law came into force requiring judges to retire before reaching the age of 65.

Poland is threatened by a new wave of demonstrations against the ruling party "Law and Justice" on Tuesday night at midnight. the new law on the reduction of the retirement age of judges from 70 to 65 years old has come into force.

The new law affects 27 of the 73 Supreme Court justices, or about 40%. Among them is the 65-year-old court judge Malgo Gata Gersdorf. Supported by several hundred protesters, she arrived on the morning of Wednesday 4th July to go on holiday later. Joseph Iwlsky named him temporary replacement

Gersdorff's ruling party termed "cleansing" the judicial reforms and insists that he has the constitutional right to remain in office until the end of his term. at the end of 2020.

self-sufficient, thereby gaining control of the judicial system. The European Commission (EC), which has long criticized Warsaw for its attempts to weaken the rule of law, began an infringement procedure against Poland on Monday, the ruling party said on Tuesday. reformed by the caste of privileged judges of the communist era.

Moravecki on Wednesday spoke in defense of the Warsaw position and the reforms of the ruling party "Law and Justice" by the government.

Moraveckis rejected criticism, spoke of respect for "national identities" and announced that states have the "right" to create their own justice system.

"Our European motto – unity in diversity – is not just an empty slogan." According to Mr. Moraveckis, every EU country has the right to build its own justice according to its own traditions

In the debate that followed, a number of MEPs accused the courts of being subject to political control.The EC on Wednesday was represented by its vice-president, Valdis Dombrovskis, who said that Brussels was always open to dialogue with Warsaw, but until then it was not enough:

"If the rule of law has a systemic threat, we can not simply watch. We can not say that it's just an internal political problem. "If a country weakens the principle of separation of powers or jeopardizes the independence of the judiciary in another, it becomes a European problem affecting the entire community," Dombrovskis said (19659012). This month is a month to respond to Brussels criticism.

However, the Polish opposition, and also Brussels, believe that such reforms undermine the principles of democracy and the rule of law. Under the new law, the European Commission this week launched a procedure against Poland that could deprive Warsaw of the right to vote in the Council of Ministers of the European Union.

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