Posts in the category
Why Hungary and Poland Block the EU Budget Deal
The Hungarian and Polish governments are united in defending their autocratizing political models, whatever it takes politically. However, there is also a significant difference between Poland and Hungary. While Poland is largely free from large-scale, systemic corruption plaguing EU funds, the Hungarian regime’s political-economic model is based on state-led, centralized corruption structures and the deliberate misuse of EU funds.
Ziobro’s faithful soldier becomes president of the largest court in Poland
The chief disciplinary commissioner, Piotr Schab, has been nominated to the office of president of the Regional Court in Warsaw. Schab is known for prosecuting independent judges. If this information is officially confirmed, it will mean a stricter course for Poland’s largest court.
Half a million for prosecuting defiant judges. The Law and Justice authority is throwing money at Ziobro’s disciplinary commissioners
Increasingly more people are involved in prosecuting and repressing independent judges. Not only have other judges joined Schab’s, Radzik’s and Lasota’s team of disciplinary commissioners, but so have assistants. The costs of employing them are also increasing, because they spent PLN 156,000 on travel and accommodation alone last year.
A lawyer from Olsztyn made a donation to PiS and is a judge. His partner also contributed and he too wants to become a judge
Tomasz Kosakowski donated 12,500 zlotys to the PiS election fund and has just been appointed a judge by President Andrzej Duda. His former partner from the law firm paid 25,000 zlotys to the fund and is now applying for a position in the administrative court
The Netherlands will extradite no-one to Poland under European Arrest Warrant
The Regional Court in Amsterdam has already submitted a second enquiry to the Court of Justice of the EU regarding the performance of a European Arrest Warrant to Poland. Until the receipt of an answer from the CJEU, no person suspected or convicted of a crime by a court in Poland will be extradited from the Netherlands.
The Chamber of Labour in the Supreme Court asks the CJEU about the status of the ‘new’ judges and about the ‘muzzle’ law
The Chamber of Labour has asked the CJEU to consider the status of the ‘new’ Supreme Court judges, as well as the bans on judges in the ‘muzzle’ act adopted by PiS. It has also requested the CJEU to consider its preliminary questions under an accelerated procedure
The United Right’s plan: Take over the media, courts, schools and colleges. Goal: total power
The day after the presidential election, you could hear announcements from the government camp that its national-Catholic revolution will be completed. In the first wave, there will be a reckoning with the free media, and the courts will have their final takeover. The government could also take control of schools and universities
Two scenarios for the rule of law in Poland after the presidential elections
Independence of the judiciary and the rule of law have been almost completely absent from the presidential campaign in Poland. But the result of the elections will fundamentally affect these areas. We discuss two scenarios: if the incumbent president Andrzej Duda wins, and if his challenger Rafał Trzaskowski wins.
Strasbourg Steps in
Concerted effort of the CJEU and the ECtHR may result in the hindering of some of the negative effects of changes in the judiciary. So far it has been the CJEU that has been active, with the courageous involvement of national judges and civil society – writes prof. Adam Bodnar, the Commissioner for Human Rights
Former CT judge Prof. Wyrzykowski: The presidential elections in Poland will be held under the pretence of legality
This is not the first time that we have escaped from the bounds of the Constitution simply to avoid implementing functions of the state that have been established by the nation – warns prof. Mirosław Wyrzykowski