(Bloomberg) — The Polish government will “quickly” push through legislation to meet the European Union’s demands on judicial independence if it secures guarantees from Brussels, a top official said.
Szymon Szynkowski vel Sek, Poland’s European affairs minister, said the ruling party will move to address the EU concerns about the overhaul of its judiciary to secure the release of €34.5 billion ($36.3 billion) in post-pandemic aid.
The minister has been shuttling between Brussels and Warsaw seeking to assuage worries within the European Commission — and delivered “directional proposals” that meet the demands of the EU’s executive arm, he said in an interview.
“If we receive a positive response from the Commission, which guarantees that this will solve the problem, we are ready to act quickly, including on the legislative front,” Szynkowski told Bloomberg on Wednesday.
The minister’s efforts reflect a new sense of urgency within the ruling Law & Justice to secure the funds, as the nation of 38 million grapples with a cost-of-living crisis and surging inflation spurred by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The party’s hold in power is also at risk in the polls ahead of an election slated for October of next year.
Law & Justice is willing to go to lengths to access the funds, likely having to rely on votes from the opposition to pass the legislation through parliament. A group of lawmakers around Justice Minister Zbigniew Ziobro last week took aim at Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki for his efforts to reach a deal with Brussels.
But Jaroslaw Kaczynski, Poland’s most powerful politician as the ruling party leader, came to the premier’s defense earlier this week, saying there was no alternative to seeking a deal with the EU.
Szynkowski met EU Justice Commissioner Didier Reynders last Thursday for talks and said he was looking for feedback from the bloc’s executive this week.
Source : Yahoo
