Polish ruling party boss says judicial reform may be 'destructive'

Poland's govt said on Tuesday it had agreed amendments with Brussels that would release 35.4 billion euros in Covid-19 recovery funds withheld over the dispute

A draft law aimed at unlocking billions of euros in frozen EU funding could be "extremely destructive", Poland's ruling party leader was quoted as saying on Saturday, casting further doubt on the legislation's future.

Poland's government, embroiled in a long-running row with the EU over the independence of the country's courts, said on Tuesday it had agreed amendments with Brussels that would release 35.4 billion euros in Covid-19 recovery funds withheld over the dispute.

But after President Andrzej Duda struck a cautious tone about the bill, the ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party said it would be taken off the agenda of a parliamentary sitting on Thursday, leaving the reform proposals in limbo.

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Comments by PiS leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski added to uncertainty over the bill's passage.

"The effects in Poland could be extremely destructive, not only for the judiciary, but also for the entire state apparatus," Kaczynski was quoted as saying in an extract of an interview with the Gazeta Polska weekly.

He said its adoption would "probably, but not certainly" fulfill the milestones set out by the European Commission as conditions for receiving the funds and that it required further consultation.

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The bill has split the ruling camp, with United Poland, a junior partner in government, saying it will vote against it on the grounds that it damages Poland's sovereignty.

Under the new bill, judges would not face disciplinary action for questioning the independence of colleagues appointed by state bodies that critics say are politicised. United Poland says that could cause chaos by allowing a large number of verdicts to be called into question.

In a speech on Thursday, Duda, a PiS ally, also reiterated that he opposed any changes that would allow the status of judges to be questioned. He added that he would assess the bill's compliance with the constitution.