Many concerned citizens and activists attend the meetings, but also Poles who are not so concerned. “Society will not allow the rule of law to disappear. Those in power can make changes, but the basic values remain,” says Ryszard Lautenbach.
He also lived in Poland under communism and “is not easily frightened”, he laughs. The young visitors feel more urgency. “The rulers act as if the Constitution does not exist. Judges are suspended if they act independently. It is very painful to see this happening in my country. I was born as a citizen of the European Union and want to live in a state governed by the rule of law, in a democracy,” says Anna Prokop.
If there is a ruling today, there is a good chance that it will be in favor of the Polish government. The Polish Constitutional Court is one of the first legal institutions to be overhauled by the ruling party PiS and is now largely made up of judges who sided with PiS. The judge hearing this case is also known as anti-European.
Eventful week
In any case, it will be an eventful week in this area. On Thursday, the European Court will rule on the legitimacy of the disciplinary chamber of the Polish Supreme Court. In an interim ruling, Luxembourg ruled that the Disciplinary Chamber must begin its work immediately shut downbecause the independence of the judges could not be guaranteed. Poland has so far not complied with this ruling.
Incidentally, Poland is not the only country that has quarreled with Brussels because of the priority issue. The German Constitutional Court also received last stand, because by criticizing the European Central Bank’s debt-buying program, it would fail to recognize the primacy of EU law over national law and thus “inspire” other countries not to do the same.
And that happens. Poland calls the judgment of the German Court “proof that the Polish government is right in the dispute over the reform of the Polish judiciary”.
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