Venice Commission delegates to visit Poland
A delegation of the Council of Europe-advising Venice Commission will visit Poland on January 9 and 10 in connection with a request for it to opine on Polish judicial reforms by Poland's Senate (upper house) speaker Tomasz Grodzki.
On Friday the Venice Commission informed that it had received a letter from Grodzki asking for an opinion on recent reforms of the Polish justice system, which among others seek disciplinary measures against judges.
Passed on December 20, the proposed regulations permit the disciplining of judges for obstructing the functioning of the justice system, questioning the legality of judicial appointments and involvement in public activity which infringes on judicial independence.
Later in December the EC asked the Polish authorities to halt the introduction of the regulations until they have been consulted. At the time, EC Vice-President Vera Jourova encouraged Warsaw to consult the matter with the Venice Commission.
