In December 2015, Warsaw adopted a set of controversial media and constitutional court laws, including amendments to the law on the Constitutional Tribunal influencing the independence of its judges, that have been widely criticized both in Poland and the European Union. The Constitutional Tribunal recognized the unconstitutionality of new legislation in its March ruling, which the Polish government refused to publish to prevent it from being considered legally binding.
In mid-January, the European Commission began a preliminary review of whether the new laws introduced by the Polish government were in breach of the European Union's founding principle on the rule of law. The commission also decided to start a dialogue with Warsaw on the issue to avoid violation of the European norms. Within the framework of EU legislation, if the dialogue fails, Poland could be deprived of voting rights in the Council of Ministers of the European Union.
UK nationals are set to vote on June 23 in a referendum on the country's EU membership, after Prime Minister David Cameron and the leaders of 27 EU member states agreed in February to grant the United Kingdom a special status within the bloc.
