The USA is worried about Poland’s planned overhaul of the justice system, a US state department spokeswoman has said, adding that Washington will continue to watch the situation in Warsaw.
The spokeswoman, Heather Nauert, said: “We are concerned about Polish Government’s continued pursuit of legislation that appears to limit the judiciary and potentially weaken the rule of law in Poland”.
“So we continue to watch that situation very carefully,” she added.
She also referred to US President Donald Trump’s visit to Warsaw earlier this month, saying that America’s relationship with the people of Poland is important and that Poland is “a fellow democracy and a close ally”.
On Friday, the Polish Senate is to consider the government’s Supreme Court reform bill, passed in the lower house on Thursday, which, if it becomes law, will force all of the court’s current judges into retirement and give the president powers to choose who to reinstate.
Last week parliament passed two other government-backed bills which would allow the justice minister to appoint judges to the country’s district and appeals courts, and a 60-percent parliamentary majority to nominate judges to an influential judicial ethics supervisory council.
Poland's ruling conservatives have said sweeping changes are needed to reform an inefficient and sometimes corrupt judicial system.
The party’s supporters have criticised Polish courts for taking too long to hear cases, and have accused judges of being an elite, self-serving clique often out of touch with the problems of ordinary citizens.
But opposition MPs and the thousands of people who have taken part in nearly a week of protest outside Poland’s parliament have called the planned changes a “coup” and an attack on democracy, accusing the governing Law and Justice (PiS) party of aiming to stack courts with its own candidates and to dismantle the rule of law.
Brussels has also weighed in on the situation in Poland, saying it was ready to take action against Poland for violating EU laws.
Poland is already embroiled in a row with Brussels over PiS's sweeping changes to the Constitutional Tribunal and concerns about the rule of law. (vb)