The European Union’s General Court has dismissed Poland’s legal complaints regarding €320 million ($333 million) in fines imposed by the EU in 2022 and 2023 over a dispute concerning judicial reforms. The ruling, announced on Wednesday, confirms the enforcement of financial penalties related to Poland’s non-compliance with EU judicial standards. The case stems from judicial reforms introduced by Poland, which the European Commission stated affected judicial independence. In 2021, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruled that Poland’s system for disciplining judges violated EU law.
It imposed a daily fine of €1 million, requiring Poland to dissolve the disciplinary chamber responsible for overseeing judges. The fine was later reduced to €500,000 following partial reforms. To enforce the penalties, the EU deducted the fines from payments due to Poland. Warsaw challenged this action at the General Court, arguing against the financial deductions. The court ruled against Poland, upholding the EU’s authority to impose and collect the fines. The dispute over judicial reforms previously led to the suspension of EU funds allocated to Poland.
The European Commission had linked the release of these funds to Poland’s compliance with rule-of-law requirements. The General Court’s decision follows legal actions initiated under the previous Polish government, which defended its judicial policies against EU criticism. The ruling affirms the European Court of Justice’s earlier decision and maintains the financial measures implemented by the EU. With the court’s dismissal of Poland’s complaints, the fines remain in effect as per the EU’s enforcement mechanism. Poland has the option to appeal the ruling before the European Court of Justice. – By MENA Newswire News Desk.