"We've expected that our arguments regarding changes in the Polish judiciary may not convince the European Commission, not because they are weak, but because the Commission is acting politically," said the Deputy Minister of Justice Łukasz Piebiak.
Mr Piebiak said that "there's nothing new in the European Commission's statement".
"We've expected that our arguments regarding changes in the Polish judiciary may not convince the European Commission, not because they are weak, but because the Commission is acting politically in our case, and not like an institution which is supposed to uphold and protect the European law and treaties. That is why we take this decision calmly," said the deputy justice minister in an interview for Polish Press Agency (PAP).
He also said that it's just another step in the procedure. "I think we will just keep on presenting out standpoint. If the case gets to the ECJ, we will be exchanging arguments. We are most certain that there is no basis to withdraw from the ongoing reform. We are sure the reform will go further as this is what the Polish people want," he emphasised.
Mr Piebiak also added that there is nothing in the European Commission's statement that hasn't been said before of anything that we haven't responded to already, so "I don't think that there's any reason to change anything in the introduced laws".
Another step
The European Commission on Tuesday stepped up its latest legal case against Poland, where the ruling nationalists stand accused of bulldozing the independence of courts and judges, thereby undercutting democracy.
Governed by the Law and Justice (PiS) party, the EU's largest ex-communist state has most recently enacted laws forcing into early retirement many Supreme Court judges. The bloc, rights groups and domestic political opposition decry that as going against the rule of law.
These moves came after the PiS had already exchanged many judges at the Polish Constitutional Tribunal and heads of many regular courts, while also tightening its grip on public media and controls over non-government groups since coming to power in late 2015.
Now, the head of the Polish Supreme Court has been defying the new law and the situation risks paralysing the court, which validates election results in the country of 38 million people.
"The Commission maintains that the Polish law is incompatible with EU law as it undermines the principle of judicial independence, including the irremovability of judges," the EU's executive on Tuesday as it took to a second level a formal infringement procedure against Warsaw.
Poland now has a month to make amends or the Commission will file a lawsuit at the bloc's top European Court of Justice.
But the PiS remains defiant and enjoys broad public support - largely thanks to generous social spending - despite its many bitter feuds with the EU.
Autor: gf / Źródło: TVN24 International, PAP, Reuters
Źródło zdjęcia głównego: tvn24