WARSAW: More work needs to be done on the rule of law in Poland, the European Commission president said on Thursday during a visit to Warsaw after Brussels approved billions of euros in COVID-19 economic recovery funds for the country.
Nevertheless, it said that Poland would have to fulfil milestones related to judicial independence, reinstating unlawfully dismissed judges and reforming its disciplinary system, before funds could start flowing. It has also said that withholding the funds at a time when more than 3.5 million refugees have crossed the border from Ukraine is unjustified.
Lawmakers in the lower house of parliament have voted in favour of a bill that would replace the chamber with a new body, but critics say it does not tackle the core problem of the politicisation of the judiciary.