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Protest action in Kraków against the Polish government's judicial reform
Photo: Anadolu Agency / Anadolu / Getty Images
Despite a conviction by the European Court of Justice (ECJ) at the end of October, Poland has not yet paid the fine to the EU Commission for its judicial reform.
Now the government in Warsaw has been sent a payment request for 69 million euros.
According to the ECJ, Poland should pay a fine of one million euros a day from November 3rd.
This was to enforce an emergency court decision ordering an immediate halt to the activities of the Disciplinary Chamber of Poland's Supreme Court.
The now requested sum of 69 million euros covers the fine that has accumulated up to January 10th.
If Poland does not settle the claim within 60 days, the amount can be deducted from EU payments to Poland.
According to information from the EU Commission, there has never been a case in which a member state has not paid penalties imposed by the ECJ.
Payments like these go into the EU budget.
It is questionable whether Poland will give in now: the government in Warsaw has already failed to comply with another request for payment. It is about an ECJ order in connection with the lignite mining in the Turow opencast mine on the border with Saxony. The EU Commission had therefore announced that it would withhold EU funds intended for Poland in a one-off process and thus compensate for the fine. In this case, too, tens of millions of euros are at stake.
The EU has been arguing with Warsaw for years about the judicial reforms of the right-wing nationalist ruling party Law and Justice (PiS).
Among other things, it is about a 2018 newly created, controversial Disciplinary Chamber at the Supreme Court, which has oversight of all judges, including those at the Supreme Court.
It can lift their immunity to allow prosecution and cut their salaries.
In the opinion of the EU Commission, the independence of this chamber is questionable and represents a risk for the independence of the Polish courts.
as /dpa/AFP
