Marin Mrčela, President of the Group of States against Corruption (GRECO), expressed his “great concern” over amendments to laws on the reform of the Polish judiciary that were adopted in December 2019. His concerns were noted in a letter to the Polish Minister of Justice, Zbigniew Ziobro, dated 24 February and published on Wednesday 26 February.
The President of GRECO notes that the independence of the judiciary is a “cornerstone of democracy and the Rule of law”, which is essential in the fight against corruption.
Referring to the Venice Commission's opinion of January (see EUROPE 12405/25), he notes that these amendments not only undermine this independence, but also put Polish judges in the “impossible situation” of facing disciplinary sanctions for having issued decisions required under the European Convention on Human Rights, or decisions that comply with European legislation that is binding on Poland.
Marin Mrčela asks Zbigniew Ziobro to reconsider these amendments and states that Poland will be questioned on the issue during the GRECO plenary session to be held on 16-20 March. (Original version in French by Véronique Leblanc)