EU Executive to Start Legal Action Against Poland over Judiciary Reform

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27 July 2017 10:15 WIB

People attend a protest against judicial reforms in Wroclaw, Poland, July 26, 2017. The European Commission said on Wednesday it would launch legal action against Poland over an overhaul of its judiciary that it says undermines the independence of judges and breaks EU rules, both accusations denied by Warsaw. Agencja Gazeta/Mieczyslaw Michalak via REUTERS

27 Juli 2017 00:00 WIB

People attend a protest against judicial reforms in front of the Law and Justice headquarters, in Warsaw, Poland July 26, 2017. Poland's eurosceptic, nationalist-minded government rejected Brussels' objections as "blackmail" and unjustified criticism but said Warsaw was open to talks to resolve the dispute. REUTERS/Kacper Pempel

27 Juli 2017 00:00 WIB

A man holds a picture of European Commission First Vice-President Frans Timmermans as he protests against EU plans to start legal action against Poland over judiciary reform, in front of European Commission Representation office, in Warsaw, Poland July 26, 2017. The Commission gave Poland a month to respond to concerns for the rule of law raised by the European Union executive in an unprecedented process launched last year and now aggravated by Poland's alleged politicisation of the judiciary. REUTERS/Kacper Pempel

27 Juli 2017 00:00 WIB

People attend a protest against judicial reforms in front of the Law and Justice headquarters, in Warsaw, Poland July 26, 2017. Polish President Andrzej Duda on Tuesday signed into law a bill giving the justice minister the power to replace heads of ordinary courts. But in a move welcomed by Brussels, Duda also blocked two other bills that would have empowered the government and parliament to replace Supreme Court judges and most members of a high-level judicial panel. REUTERS/Kacper Pempel

27 Juli 2017 00:00 WIB

People attend a protest against judicial reforms in Wroclaw, Poland, July 26, 2017. "An independent judiciary is an essential precondition for membership in our (European) Union," Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker said in a statement. "The EU can therefore not accept a system which allows dismissing judges at will." Agencja Gazeta/Tomasz Pietrzyk via REUTERS

27 Juli 2017 00:00 WIB

People attend a protest against judicial reforms in front of the Supreme Court in Warsaw, Poland, July 26, 2017. "If the Polish government goes ahead with undermining the independence of the judiciary and the rule of law in Poland, we will have no other choice than to trigger Article 7," he said, referring to a legal process of suspending Poland's voting rights in the 28-nation EU. Agencja Gazeta/Agata Grzybowska via REUTERS

27 Juli 2017 00:00 WIB