Brussels takes Poland to court again: a useless move?
The EU Commission is once again suing Poland before the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) over its controversial judicial law. The bloc argues that the independence of judges is being undermined.
Money is the only leverage
The lawsuit is unlikely to change the PiS government's stance, fears the Frankfurter Rundschau:
“After all, since 2015 it has not only restricted the judiciary's powers, but also filled key positions in state authorities with those who are loyal to it, converted state media into channels for propaganda and curtailed the rights of minorities. It has also for the most part ignored Brussels' frequent criticism against these undemocratic steps, taking advantage of the fact that the EU had few convincing instruments to protect the rule of law as a higher good. ... Clearly, Brussels will only win the power struggle with Poland for itself and the rule of law if the EU cuts the aid and subsidies. But that will take time.”
Too little support from the EU
Rzeczpospolita also doesn't expect the lawsuit to achieve much:
“With another appeal to the ECJ, Brussels wants to completely block the Disciplinary Chamber of the Supreme Court in Warsaw. But the ECJ's decisions in this matter have so far proved to be half-baked. The Court may have successfully limited the Chamber's powers to conduct disciplinary proceedings against judges last year. But it had forgotten that the Chamber can also waive the immunity of judges at the request of the public prosecuters. As a result, despite protests, the Chamber lifted the immunity of Judge Igor Tuleya and Judge Barbara Morawiec, allowing investigators to launch proceedings against them. Polish requests to the EU to support these oppressed people have been to no avail.”