The European Union on Tuesday welcomed Poland’s plan to “restore the rule of law” and abandon the former nationalist government’s policies that froze billions of euros in EU funds over fears of a lack of judicial independence, Reuters and Agerpres report.

The Law and Justice (PiS) party, which has been in power for eight years, has implemented a program of judicial reforms that the Commission and the European Parliament believe have damaged democratic oversight mechanisms and exposed the courts to political influence. As a result, the European Commission blocked billions of euros of EU funds for Poland.

Several EU commissioners said the new government’s plan in Warsaw to roll back those reforms, presented in Brussels on Tuesday morning, was well received.

“The Commission was very impressed to hear so many positive comments at the table… the response is very positive,” said European Commissioner for Justice Didier Reynders. For her part, the vice-president of the European Commission for values ​​and transparency, Vira Jourova, called the Polish plan “realistic”.

The Tusk government wants to reverse the changes made by the previous government to the judicial system

The new Prime Minister of Poland, Donald Tusk, promised to restore the independence of the judicial system and to unlock the funds frozen by Brussels. But he faces opposition from PiS and its allies, including the country’s president Andrzej Duda and some judges.

“I think that the very positive reaction of member states is related to a certain level of confidence that we will act predictably and in accordance with the rule of law,” Polish Justice Minister Adam Bodnar said after the plan was presented. in Brussels.

He said the plan includes changes to the National Council of Magistrates, the body that appoints judges, and the Constitutional Court, which decides whether laws are constitutional or unconstitutional.

Critics from Poland and abroad denounced the fact that the Constitutional Court was massively politicized during the PiS government.