Skip to main content

Statement of the Network of the Presidents of the Supreme Judicial Courts of the European Union on the Situation in Poland, 11 July 2018

The Network notes that since its statement of 24 April 2017, the situation of the Supreme Court of Poland has deteriorated.

The Network expresses its serious concerns following the entry into force of the new law lowering the retirement age for judges to 65 with immediate effect. Under the new law, the President of the Republic may, inter alia, appoint a first acting President to the Supreme Court of Poland while the constitutional term of office of the current President has not yet expired.

The complexity of this situation continues to raise the question of the independence of the judiciary in Poland with its consequences for the proper functioning of the European Union in terms of mutual trust and the rule of law.