Hungary supports Poland in its dispute with EC
The Hungarian government has said it will back Poland in its dispute with the EU following the European Commission's decision to ask the EU's top court to fine Poland for its failure to comply with a court ruling demanding the suspension of a disciplinary chamber for judges at the Polish Supreme Court.
Hungary is a close ally of Poland in European affairs and in the past the two countries have said they will support each other in disputes with Brussels.
"Hungary supports Poland. The Hungarian government believes that, while motioning for a fine, the European Commission has been meddling in the Polish judicial system and relations between the legislative power and the judicial system," says the statement that was published on Thursday night.
On September 7, the European Commission asked the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) to fine Poland for failing to comply with the court's July 15 ruling calling for the suspension of the disciplinary chamber.
The CJEU had found that the chamber "undermines the judicial independence of Polish judges and it does not ensure the necessary guarantees to protect judges from political control."
The Hungarian government has also called on Judit Varga, its justice minister, to examine the possibility of taking legal action on Warsaw's behalf before the EU Court of Justice.
It has also described the European Commission's decision to ask for financial penalties against Poland as “unprecedented” in a situation when the entire case also concerns "relations between EU laws and national constitutional laws."
In mid-August, Poland told the European Commission that it would liquidate the Disciplinary Chamber in its current form.
