Secretary General Thorbjørn Jagland has sent a letter to the Speaker of the Sejm, Mr Marek Kuchciński, concerning the new parliamentary draft law on the Polish Supreme Court.
Highlighting the crucial role played by Supreme Courts in democracies, he wrote that he was particularly concerned by the provisions of the draft law which – upon entry into force – will terminate the mandate of all judges of the Supreme Court - except those specifically selected to continue their mandate.
He stressed that the draft law should be taken in conjunction with other texts adopted recently in Poland on the judiciary, which also raise concerns, such as the draft law on the National Council for the Judiciary.
He added that given the role played by the judiciary, both the executive and the legislature must be particularly cautious when considering legislative amendments directly affecting the judiciary’s independent functioning.
He appealed to the Sejm to uphold Council of Europe standards and not to proceed hastily.
