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A protest banner reading “Konsytucja” (Constitution) hung above the main entrance to the Supreme Court in Warsaw in 2018.
Photo: Natalie Skrzypczak/ DPA
The Polish parliament decided on Thursday to abolish the controversial disciplinary chamber at the Supreme Court.
This was reported by the news agencies AFP and APA (Austria).
The chamber, which could punish and dismiss judges and prosecutors, is at the center of the conflict over the judicial reforms of the national-conservative Polish government.
The members of the Chamber were selected by the politically controlled State Judicial Council.
According to decisions of the European Court of Justice (ECJ), their activities are not compatible with EU rules on the independence and impartiality of the judiciary.
However, the Polish Constitutional Court had ruled that the ECJ's corresponding orders to abolish the Chamber were incompatible with the Polish Constitution.
The Disciplinary Chamber is now to be replaced by a »Chamber for Professional Responsibility«.
The decision comes as no surprise.
Last August, Deputy Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski announced the dissolution of the body, and President Andrzej Duda presented a corresponding draft law in February.
The conflict between the EU and Warsaw over the dismantling of Poland's rule of law has been smoldering for years.
The Polish government has largely placed the judiciary and public media under political control.
Most recently, she had disregarded several ECJ judgments and refused to pay the fines imposed as a result.
The EU Commission has therefore reduced Poland's funding in the three-digit million range and blocked the payment of corona aid.
pbe/AFP/dpa