Polish president to unveil proposals for legal changes

Andrzej Duda in late July vetoed two of three controversial government-backed bills that would have given elected officials significant powers in appointing and dismissing court judges.

He announced he would draw up his own alternatives to the two vetoed bills within two months.

Jarosław Kaczyński, the leader of Poland’s ruling conservatives, said at the time that the president’s decision to veto two of the judicial reform bills was a "serious mistake.”

The conservative government in Warsaw has said that the judiciary in Poland is inefficient and sometimes corrupt and in need of significant changes.

Supporters of Poland’s ruling conservatives have criticised the country’s courts for taking too long to hear cases, and have accused judges of being an elite, self-serving clique often out of touch with the problems of ordinary citizens.

But the opposition has accused the government of aiming to pack courts with loyalists and of dismantling the rule of law with the reforms.

Poland is locked in a dispute with the European Commission over legal changes in the country.

On Friday, Duda met Kaczyński for last-minute talks on ways of reorganising the country’s Supreme Court and the National Council of the Judiciary.

After the hour-and-a-half-long meeting, Kaczyński told reporters that “the road to an agreement is open, and it doesn't seem particularly difficult to travel.”

This was the latest meeting between Duda and Kaczyński to discuss planned changes to Poland’s justice system.

Duda has also held a series of consultations with political parties represented in parliament. (gs/pk)

Source: IAR