The Polish justice ministry plans to reduce the number of Supreme Court judges to 20/30 from the current 97 and to merge some of the chambers of the Supreme Court, the daily Rzeczpospolita reported on Tuesday 8 September.
“To remedy the situation in the judicial system, it is necessary to limit the number of official posts, reorganise the courts and limit their competences”, Deputy Minister of Justice Anna Dalkowska told the newspaper.
Contacted by EUROPE, the European Commission had not replied, at the time of our closure, nor indicated whether this reform is potentially problematic from the point of view of the rule of law.
The Commission has opened several legal fronts against Warsaw, with the latest infringement procedure launched concerning the so-called “muzzle” law on the disciplinary regime of judges (see EUROPE 12501/27).
On 22 September, the so-called ‘Article 7’ procedure on respect for the rule of law, opened by the Commission against Poland at the end of 2017, will return to the agenda of the European Affairs Ministers for a review of the situation. The proceedings against Hungary, initiated by the European Parliament, will also be on the agenda.
The General Affairs Council meeting should this time be face-to-face. The Member States’ ambassadors to the EU (Coreper) will decide on the agenda and the modalities on Wednesday 9 September. (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)