EU · WORLD & POLITICS
Poland blocks KRS judiciary independence overhaul
Yahoo
21 Feb · 10:25 AM
Change
President Karol Nawrocki vetoed legislation to restore the National Council of the Judiciary (KRS) selection process to a judge-elected majority.
Why it matters
The blocked law targeted the KRS, the body that nominates judges, by reversing the post-2018 model where parliament appoints 15 of 25 members. Nawrocki said the bill was unconstitutional and would politicize justice administration, signaling continued institutional conflict between the presidency and the government. Because the KRS structure has been central to EU-level criticism of Poland’s judicial independence, the veto preserves the status quo that has been contested in EU forums. The decision raises the likelihood that further rule-of-law changes will face presidential veto risk, tightening the government’s legislative path for judiciary reforms.
Implications
- • KRS nomination governance remains under the current parliament-appointed model
- • Higher veto risk for additional judiciary reform bills in this term
- • EU rule-of-law compliance pathway remains constrained by unchanged KRS structure
Who is affected
- • Poland’s Ministry of Justice and judiciary reform legislative teams
- • Judges and candidates for judicial appointments routed through the KRS
- • EU institutions monitoring Poland’s rule-of-law compliance (European Commission/ECJ)
- • Law and Justice (PiS) and Civic Platform-led governing coalition stakeholders
Source
Read original → Yahoo
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