Polish PM to Call for Confidence Vote in Gov’t Ahead of EU Leaders' Summit

Following the recent call for a vote of confidence for UK Prime Minister Theresa May in her leadership of the Conservative Party, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said he would call for a vote of confidence in the Law and Justice (PiS) government to ensure it has a mandate for its reforms ahead of this week's summit of EU leaders.

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki has addressed the parliament requesting a vote of confidence amid a slight fall in the party's ratings following a corruption scandal regarding a financial regulator.

"I appeal to the marshal (chairman) of the Sejm with a proposal for a vote of confidence in the government so that the upper house can express an opinion about the need to continue the reform programme", Polish radio quoted the prime minister as saying.

After Law and Justice Party, abbreviated to PiS came to power three years ago, the separation between the EU and the country has reportedly grown amid accusations at home and abroad of a tilt towards authoritarianism.

READ MORE: Prague in EU Drone Project More ‘Hypothetical' At Present — Czech Politician

The European Union has also sharply criticised Poland's judicial reform saying that it undermines the independence of Polish courts. The European Commission has sent several letters to the Polish government with its recommendations and stated its readiness to invoke Article 7 of the Lisbon Treaty, which would suspend Poland's membership rights in the European Union, including voting in the European Council.

In November, Polish lawmakers amended the law, enabling judges who were forced to retire after reaching the age of 65 to return to office in the Supreme Court and the Supreme Administrative Court, however, the newly appointed judges of the Supreme Court would still retire at the age of 65.