"Poland is a proud country. Please don't lecture us about that sort if things. We know very well how to govern our institutions," said Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki in the European Parliament on Wednesday.
Honest broker?
"We have done a lot to enter into dialogue, but I have to think whether or not the commission is really an honest broker, as you call it, an honest broker," said PM Morawiecki.
"I was expecting that in a situation of polarization that we had, that we have in Poland at the moment, I thought that the commission might be an honest broker but is it really? I have doubts about that, because despite the fact that we've made a great deal of efforts to reach out, we've done some what the commission suggested in respect of the ordinary courts, the promise to withdraw the submission to the European Court of Justice hasn't been kept," he added.
Morawiecki emphasised that diversity in EU should be respected: "You cannot definitely dictate the conditions of the rule of law to the member states. The systems vary to a large extent and you need to take those differences into account."
That is also why it is an exclusive competence of member states to regulate their justice and home affairs systems. Justice and home affairs, this is not a part of 'acquis communautaire' (laws, regulations and court decisions EU members agreed to abide) in the understanding of the EU competences," he said.
Prime Minister @MorawieckiM took part in the meeting of the European Parliament - in a debate The Future of Europe. pic.twitter.com/97BrsQEhvH
— Chancellery of the Prime Minister of Poland (@PremierRP_en) 4 lipca 2018
Sweeping changes
"The European sovereignty cannot imply building the European Union at the expense of the member states’ strength, for the strength of the sovereign Europe stems from the strength of its members," stressed Polish prime minister.
He was speaking after another of his government's sweeping changes to the judiciary entered into force in Poland on Tuesday, triggering fresh street protests over the overhaul criticised by the EU for undercutting the courts' independence and hence the rule of law.
The address came two days after the European Commission opened a fresh legal case against Poland over the Supreme Court changes, saying that they undermine judicial independence in the largest formerly communist member of the EU.
The Warsaw government says the reforms are necessary to improve the accountability of a system that dates back to communist times.
Since it came to power in 2015, the conservative Law and Justice (PiS) party has taken de facto control of the entire judicial system, including the constitutional tribunal and prosecutors, who now report directly to the justice minister.
Its most divisive measure will force more than a third of Supreme Court judges to retire unless they are granted an extension by President Andrzej Duda, a PiS ally.
Autor: gf / Źródło: TVN24, Reuters, PAP