22 July 2017

Politico: Protests in Warsaw as government moves on courts

PiS remains Poland’s most popular party, relying on support from older, conservative and rural voters. A new poll by the Kantar organization this week had PiS with 38 percent support, followed by Civic Platform (Klich’s party) with 19 percent. Another recent poll showed 52.6 percent of Poles oppose the government of Prime Minister Beata Szydło, with 38 percent in favor. [...]

Brussels has sounded alarmed by what’s happening in Warsaw. The European Commission may launch an infringement procedure against Poland next week for breaking EU law, and could trigger Article 7 proceedings — a move that could end with Poland losing its voting rights as an EU member.

Such an outcome is unlikely because Poland’s ideological ally, Hungary, has promised to block any such action. “We stand by Poland and we call on the European Commission not to overstep its authority,” Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said in a statement Thursday. [...]

The government has brushed off both protesters and Brussels, arguing its reforms are needed to cleanse a dysfunctional justice system. “We won’t give in to pressure,” Szydło told parliament after it adopted the Supreme Court legislation. “We won’t be scared off by Polish and foreign defenders of elite interests.”

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