Poland blasts Commission for ‘left-wing’ motivations

Justice minister defends Warsaw’s changes to its constitutional court.

Poland’s government responded harshly Tuesday to EU concerns over controversial changes to its Constitutional Tribunal, stressing “unjustified” accusations and blaming the dispute on “left-wing” political motivations.

Writing to the European Commission’s first vice president, Frans Timmermans, Polish Justice Minister Zbigniew Ziobro warned Brussels “to exercise more restraint in instructing and cautioning the parliament and the government of a sovereign and democratic state in the future, despite ideological differences that may exist between us, with you being of a left-wing persuasion.”

The letter comes a day before the Commission is set to debate whether to take official steps against Warsaw under a procedure to safeguard democratic principles in EU countries.

Timmermans, who is in charge of issues related to the rule of law for the Commission, wrote to Warsaw in December demanding an explanation of moves by the new ruling Law and Justice party (PiS) to put public TV and radio broadcasters under direct government control and to reform the Constitutional Tribunal in a way critics say could undermine judicial independence.

Ziobro’s response — which he opened by saying he was “astonished” to read Timmermans’ letter — kept up Warsaw’s combative tone towards the EU in recent days.

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In a letter last week responding to Timmermans’ concerns about the media law, Poland’s deputy foreign minister warned that if Brussels pushed the issue too far there could be “an undesirable effect.”

On the courts inquiry, Ziobro defended a law reforming the functioning of the Constitutional Tribunal, a 15-judge court that rules on the constitutionality of laws passed by parliament. Ziobro argued that Poland’s previous governing coalition had replaced the composition of the court and “contravened the principle of pluralism of constitutional court.”

Ziobro wrote Timmermans that Poland’s government was now involved in efforts to “reinstate legal order,” and commit to “principles of democratic rule of law.”

Commission spokesman Margaritis Schinas told reporters Tuesday that the letter from Poland had been received and that the EU executive was “currently analyzing” it ahead of its “orientation debate” Wednesday on the matter.

Schinas also said that Günther Oettinger, the German digital economy commissioner, had received another letter from Polish authorities “in response to opinions he had expressed” on Poland’s new media law, but would not comment publicly on it before the Commission discussion.

On Saturday Ziobro lashed out at Oettinger, who had raised questions about the new media law. The commissioner had threatened to activate the bloc’s ‘Rule of Law mechanism’ and place Warsaw under monitoring.

“These type of words, spoken by a German politician, create the worst possible connotations among Poles,” Ziobro wrote Oettinger. “Also for me, as the grandson of a Polish officer who during the Second World War fought in the underground Home Army against ‘German Oversight.’”