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'Pressure of blackmail': EU court imposes massive fine of over $1 million per day on Poland

WION Web Team
Brussels, BelgiumUpdated: Oct 28, 2021, 07:52 AM IST
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EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Poland's Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki as he arrives for a bilateral meeting in Brussels, Belgium Photograph:(Reuters)

Story highlights

The Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) has asked Warsaw to pay the fine for maintaining a disciplinary chamber for judges

The European Union has imposed a fine of $1.16 million per day on Poland over a dispute of the rule of the law.

The Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) has asked Warsaw to pay the fine for maintaining a disciplinary chamber for judges.

According to EU Justice Commissioner Didier Reynders, the decision confirms ''deep concerns about the risk of serious and irreparable damage to the European Union's legal order and the rule of law.''

In response, Polish government spokesman Piotr Muller tweeted ''The road of penalties and blackmail against our country is not the right one.''

"This is not the model in which the European Union, a union of sovereign states, should operate."  

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Meanwhile, Deputy Justice Minister Sebastian Kaleta said ''The CJEU completely disregards and ignores the Polish constitution and the judgments of the Constitutional Tribunal.''

The decision is bound to further strain Poland's future ties with the bloc. It is the largest eastern member in the union.

Warsaw and Brussels have been at loggerheads for years over the judicial reforms pushed through by the Law and Justice (PiS) government.

Brussels believes the reforms hamper democratic freedom but Poland says they are needed to root out corruption among judges. 

Earlier, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said ''All rulings by the European Court of Justice are binding on all member states' authorities, including national courts.''

The comment came after Poland's highest court ruled that some parts of EU treaties are incompatible with the Polish constitution, challenging a pillar of European integration and sharply escalating a dispute between Brussels and Warsaw.