Infighting? Polish Prime Minister Accuses EU of Exerting Political Pressure

Polish Prime Minister Beata Szydlo on Friday rebuked the European Commission for losing sight of the fact that Poland is a sovereign state while attempting to exert political pressure on Warsaw in relation to the recent constitutional reforms in the country.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — On Wednesday, the European Commission drafted a formal opinion on the ongoing constitutional crisis in Poland and gave the country time until May 23 to make progress on the issue.

"It is embarrassing that the European Commission cannot avoid exerting political pressure. The Polish government will never allow anyone to impose their will on Poles," Szydlo said in an address to parliament, as quoted by the TVN24 channel.

She also accused the opposition of failing to fulfill their basic obligations as lawmakers, saying that, "you [opposition] need to be reminded that the basic obligation that rests with the Polish parliamentarians is a duty to promote Polish sovereignty."

The amendments to the law on the Constitutional Court of Poland passed last December are seen by the European Union as limiting the judicial body’s powers. From now on, court decisions will require a two-thirds majority, not a simple majority to stand, and court hearings must involve 13 of the total 15 judges instead of nine as was the case in the past.