Poland cries foul as EU triggers 'nuclear option' over judicial independence
Source: The Guardian
The Polish government has accused the European commission of a politically motivated attack after the EU’s executive body triggered a process that could see the country stripped of voting rights in Brussels, over legal changes that the bloc claims threaten the independence of the judiciary.
In a highly symbolic moment, Poland’s fellow 27 EU member states were advised by the commission on Wednesday that the legislative programme of Poland’s government was putting at risk fundamental values expected of a democratic state by allowing political interference in its courts.
The row represents the greatest crisis in the EU since Britain’s decision to leave the EU last year, with the Polish government showing little inclination to back down.
Frans Timmermans, the vice-president of the commission, told reporters in Brussels that in two years 13 laws had been adopted that put at serious risk the independence of Poland’s judiciary and the separation of powers.
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Daniel Boffey in Brussels and Christian Davies in Warsaw
Wed 20 Dec ‘17 18.11 GMT
Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/dec/20/eu-process-poland-voting-rights