EU Gives Poland Three Months To Address Concerns About Rule Of Law [View all]

[Purveyor]

Source: Reuters

The European Commission on Wednesday gave Poland three months to boost the powers of its Constitutional Tribunal, stepping up pressure on Warsaw's euroskeptic government to respect the EU's democratic standards.

Commission deputy head Frans Timmermans said Brussels, with these new recommendations, was taking the next step in a disciplinary procedure that could lead to the suspension of Warsaw's EU voting rights and the freezing of its EU funds.

The move comes after months of largely fruitless diplomacy since Poland's Law and Justice (PiS) party won elections last October and imposed changes on the tribunal and Poland's public broadcaster, which Brussels fears undermine democratic checks and balances.

Following EU and U.S. pressure, the Polish parliament last week passed a new law on the tribunal that fell short of addressing concerns raised by Brussels.

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-poland-politics-court-eu-idUSKCN1071DN?il=0