European Commission Requests Penalties on Poland for Its System for Disciplining Judges

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The European Commission is taking Poland to court to request financial sanctions for the Polish authorities' decision to set up a special chamber for disciplining judges, EU Commissioner for Justice Didier Reynders said on 7 September.

On 15 July, the EU Court of Justice ruled that Poland's judiciary system was inconsistent with European law, as Poland refused to abolish its supreme court's disciplinary chamber. Poland insists that its national constitution takes precedence over EU law.

"Today the Commission takes #Poland to the EU Court. We are requesting financial penalties for non-respect of interim measures and asking for the full implementation of the judgment of 15 July. It is my duty, as Justice Commissioner, to ensure the independence of European judges", Reynders wrote on Twitter.

Earlier this year, Poland's top court decided that the country's constitution had primacy over the legislation of the European Union. Last year, Poland greenlighted new reforms preventing judges from referring certain legal issues to the European Court of Justice. Warsaw's move has been interpreted by some experts as an attempt to step away from the bloc.

Poland became a full EU member in 2004.