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Poland's nationalist government is embroiled in a long-running
row with Brussels over judicial reforms that critics say
undermine the independence of the courts. The dispute has
blocked billions of euros in EU funds to Warsaw and also
triggered the fines.
In 2021 the EU's top court ruled that Poland's system for
disciplining judges was incompatible with the bloc's laws and
then imposed a daily fine of 1 million euros ($1.10 million) for
Warsaw's failure to implement its ruling that the disciplinary
chamber for judges be dissolved.
Poland has now dissolved the chamber and replaced it with a new
body, although critics say the core problem of the
politicisation of the judiciary remains unsolved.
"The Vice-President (of the Court of Justice of the European
Union) considered that the measures introduced by Poland... may,
to a large extent, ensure the implementation of the interim
measures indicated in the decision of July 14, 2021," the court
said in a statement.
The court noted the disciplinary chamber had been disbanded and
said measures had been taken to strengthen the legal rights of
judges affected by its rulings.
However Laurent Pech, dean of the UCD Sutherland School of Law
in Dublin, and a vocal critic of Poland's judiciary reforms,
said the EU court was "seemingly becoming less serious about
respect for the rule of law and ensuring compliance with its own
orders/case law... (by) accepting cosmetic measures".
A Polish government spokesman was not immediately available for
comment.
A spokesperson for the EU said the reduced daily fine was coming
into effect as of Friday.
($1 = 0.9120 euros)
(Reporting by Alan Charlish and Pawel Florkiewicz, additional
reporting by Marine Strauss in BrusselsEditing by Frances Kerry)
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