EU court fines Poland $1.2m a day in legal row

BRUSSELS－The top court of the European Union has fined Poland on Wednesday 1 million euros ($1.2 million) a day for ignoring an EU ruling that called for the suspension of the country's Supreme Court disciplinary chamber.

The decision by the European Court of Justice, or ECJ, is the latest episode in the clash between Poland and EU institutions over the rule of law.

The European Commission had requested the financial penalty until the Polish government acts to improve the functioning of the Polish Supreme Court and suspend new laws deemed to undermine judicial independence.

The bone of contention is the disciplinary chamber of the Supreme Court, which has the power to discipline judges. Some Polish judges view the chamber as a tool to pressure judges to rule in favor of the governing authorities.

Poland's Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki has yet to deliver on a promise to close down the body.

The latest move risks deepening a bitter standoff over judicial independence and the primacy of EU law, which some fear has put Poland's membership of the bloc in question.

"The road of penalties and blackmail against our country is not the right one," tweeted Polish government spokesman Piotr Muller. "This is not the model in which the European Union－a union of sovereign states－should operate."

Earlier this month, Poland's Constitutional Court ruled that parts of EU law were incompatible with the Polish constitution, a decision which was denounced by Brussels.

The dispute soured during a summit of EU leaders in Brussels last week at which Morawiecki said Poland was "ready for dialogue", but would not "act under the pressure of blackmail".

Several EU leaders at the summit had insisted Brussels should not release 36 billion euros in pandemic recovery money that Poland badly wants while the issue is unresolved.

In July, the ECJ ordered the suspension of the disciplinary chamber as an interim measure until a final decision was made on the matter. However, this was ignored, so the European Commission filed yet another application for financial penalties to be imposed on Poland.

In its decision, the ECJ's vice-president said the dismantling of the chamber of judges is necessary to avoid serious and irreparable harm to the legal order of the EU and, consequently, to the rights which individuals derive from EU law and the values on which the Union is founded, in particular, that of the rule of law.

Agencies - Xinhua