Poland to pay fine in favor of European Commission

The European Court of Justice has fined Poland 1 million euros per day for ignoring an EU ruling that called for the country's Supreme Court disciplinary chamber to be suspended, Report informs referring to DW.

The European Court of Justice (ECJ) ordered Poland to pay a fine of 1 million euros ($1.2 million) per day on October 27 over its decision to ignore an EU ruling on Warsaw’s judicial reforms.

The top EU court imposed the penalty as Poland has not suspended the disciplinary chamber of the Supreme Court. The ECJ had ruled in July that the chamber did not guarantee impartiality.

The ECJ said in a press release the fine was “necessary in order to avoid serious and irreparable harm to the legal order of the European Union and to the values on which that Union is founded, in particular that of the rule of law.”

The European Commission had requested “financial penalties” be levied on September 9 after Poland failed to comply with the July ruling.

The disciplinary chamber was set up in 2018 and is able to dismiss judges and prosecutors. The ECJ fears this could be abused to inflict punitive sanctions on those who show independence in not bowing to political will.