Thread by @I_am_the_Story

⭐️#Thread
1. The European Commission is taking Poland to court over rulings from Polish judges considered by experts as a “legal Polexit” that fundamentally undermine the EU’s legal order😂
EU has made a circus out of Europe🤣
#EU #POLAND #EUROPE #EuropeanParliament

2. The decision to refer Poland to the European court of justice on Wednesday – described by one expert as a bombshell – comes as Poland’s rightwing nationalist government battles to secure €35.4bn (£31.4bn)
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2(a) in EU Covid recovery funds that have been frozen over concerns about government-influenced courts.
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3. The EU’s legal case is a response to a July 2021 decision by Poland’s constitutional tribunal that declared measures imposed by the ECJ unconstitutional,
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3(a) a fundamental breach of the supremacy of EU law principle that Warsaw signed up to when it became an member state.
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4. Legal experts have described the July 2021 decision as “legal Polexit” that could signal a first step towards Poland’s departure from the union, despite opinion polls showing the popularity of the EU across the country.
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5. The commission opened legal action against Poland in December 2021, but has only now decided to refer Warsaw to the ECJ, after more than a year of fruitless discussions.
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theguardian.com/world/2021/dec…

6. The rule of law dispute dates back to the return of Poland’s nationalist Law and Justice party to power in 2015, when it began a process of installing loyalists in the courts.
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6(a) EU officials believe that Poland’s constitutional tribunal is no longer an independent and impartial court, due to “irregularities” in the appointment of its president and senior judges.

7. As a result of concerns over the independence of Polish courts, the commission has withheld €35.4bn in recovery grants and loans, pending reforms to Poland’s judicial system.
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8. The head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, has laid down three conditions for releasing the funds: a. dismantling a disciplinary chamber for judges within Poland’s supreme court;
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theguardian.com/world/2021/oct…

8(a) b. changing the judicial disciplinary system; c. and reinstating judges suspended under current rules.
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9. But Poland’s government – divided between moderate forces desperate for EU funds and hardliners who oppose backing down – has been so far unable to agree reforms that meet the EU conditions.
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10. Adding to uncertainty, Poland’s president, Andrzej Duda, last week refused to sign a key judicial reform bill the government had hoped would meet EU tests and unlock the funds.
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10(a) Duda referred the bill to Poland’s controversial constitutional tribunal for a ruling on its compatibility with Poland’s constitution.
#EU #POLAND #EUROPE #EuropeanParliament