Polish President Andrzej Duda has decided to send a bill on a key justice reform to the Constitutional Court for reconsideration instead of ratifying it immediately, EFE reported on Saturday.

In a televised address broadcast on Friday night, Duda explained that, in his opinion, the text “raises serious doubts about its constitutional nature” and that for this reason he decided to ask for an “assessment” by Poland’s Constitutional Court before ratifying it. .

“The government concluded a new agreement with the European Commission, and it’s good that it happened, because both Poland and the EU need a compromise. But it must be said that this agreement raises serious doubts about its constitutionality. (…) This is why I decided to send this draft law to the Constitutional Court… this means that the law will not enter into force until the court expresses its opinion on the conformity of the Constitution,” Duda said in his televised speech, according to Reuters.

Andrzej Duda claims that his decision will not delay the allocation of EU funds

The President of Poland expressed his belief that his decision will not delay the unblocking of European funds for his country, and also asked the judges to resolve this issue as soon as possible.

Poland’s Sejm (lower house of parliament) on Wednesday approved a key justice reform aimed at unlocking EU funds for post-pandemic recovery in a final reading of 233 votes to 207 with 12 abstentions. Later, the Polish Senate, where the opposition has a majority, rejected the bill. After this step, the bill was sent to President Andrzej Duda for promulgation.

EFE comments that Duda’s decision to refer the project to the Constitutional Court is an unusual step, considering that in almost seven years of his mandate, he has not taken such a decision on any other law.

Justice reform, a condition set by Brussels

Justice reform is one of the conditions of the European Commission for Poland to receive the funds provided for in the post-pandemic recovery plan. After a dispute over the rule of law, the European Commission blocked Poland’s access to 23.9 billion euros in grants and 11.5 billion euros in low-interest loans, although it approved the plan presented by Warsaw.

From the point of view of the Polish government, by making changes to the draft law, which will now be considered by the Constitutional Court, the European requirements were fulfilled, which would allow to unblock the funds allocated to Poland.

However, this reform has its opponents, including in the government, since the party led by the Minister of Justice Zbigniew Ziobro, which is part of the government coalition with the Law and Justice party, has always opposed the law, which, according to Ziobro, “puts the knees of Poland before the blackmail of Brussels”.

On the other hand, the Constitutional Court found itself in a difficult situation, as its head Yuliya Przylebska decided to remain in office, despite the fact that, according to many representatives of the judicial system, she has already completed the six years established by law. this post

Regarding her, Przylebska believes that the law, which limits the powers of the head of the Constitutional Court to six years, does not apply to her, since she took office a few days after the promulgation of the law, but before its promulgation. entry into force. (Agerpress)