WARSAW, July 26 (Xinhua) -- European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has said that Poland must fulfil its obligations on reforming its judicial system if it wants to obtain some 35 billion euros (35.35 billion U.S. dollars) in EU funding for post-pandemic recovery. However, Poland insists it has met all the conditions set out by the EU.
"Poland must fulfill its obligations aimed at reforming the system of disciplinary proceedings," Von der Leyen said in an interview with Poland's Dziennik Gazeta Prawna newspaper published on Tuesday.
Although Poland introduced new legislation on July 15 which eliminates the controversial Disciplinary Chamber of the Supreme Court, Von der Leyen emphasized that the law does not protect judges from disciplinary proceedings should they question the status of other judges.
This problem must be solved in order for the EU funds to be released, the Commissioner added.
She also pointed out that Poland "still has not reinstated judges that were suspended (by the Disciplinary Chamber) and the daily financial penalty still applies."
However, Malgorzata Paprocka, a minister at the Polish Presidential Office, told private television channel Polsat News on Tuesday that Poland has fulfilled all the EU requirements and therefore Brussels should suspend financial penalties levelled against Warsaw.
On October 27, 2021, the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) imposed a 1 million euro daily fine on Poland for its failure to comply with a CJEU ruling from July 2021 demanding the suspension of the Disciplinary Chamber of the Supreme Court. (1 euro = 1.01 U.S. dollars) ■