The Council of Europe’s advisory body has said reforms of Poland’s constitutional court pose a danger to the rule of law in the EU state. Poland had asked the council’s Venice Commission to comment on the legal changes after parliament overruled appointments made to the tribunal by the previous government.
The new parliament, controlled by the Law and Justice (PiS) party after an October election, named new judges in December, and the PiS-backed president Andrzej Duda immediately swore them in. The move, deemed illegal by the opposition, has already prompted the European Commission to launch a review into the rule of law in Poland. – (Reuters)