Venice Commission to postpone opinion on bill on Poland's Constitutional Tribunal
PR dla Zagranicy
Agnieszka Łaszczuk
18.07.2016 12:39
The Council of Europe's Venice Commission, an international watchdog, will not issue a preliminary opinion on a bill on Poland’s Constitutional Tribunal, before work on the new law is completed.
The headquarters of Poland's Constitutional Tribunal in Warsaw. Photo: wikimedia commons
Secretary General of the Council of Europe Thorbjoern Jagland has asked the Venice Commission to hold off from presenting a preliminary opinion on the new legislation on the constitutional court, Council of Europe spokesman Panos Kakaviatos has told the PAP news agency.
"New amendments taking into account the Venice Commission’s Opinion of March 2016 are now being tabled to the draft Act on the Constitutional Tribunal," the spokesman said.
The watchdog hopes they "will give a positive answer to the Council of Europe concerns."
Jagland, Kakaviatos added, "will ask the Venice Commission to provide, once the legislative process is complete, an Opinion on whether the new law is in compliance with European standards."
The bill is still being debated in the upper chamber of the Polish parliament.
Senate Speaker Stanisław Karczewski told Polish Radio on Monday he was "convinced that this will end the political conflict over the Constitutional Tribunal."
A political stalemate over the country’s top court has made international headlines, sparking criticism abroad and protests in the country.
The European Commission has launched the first step of a so-called rule of law procedure against Poland.
In March, the Venice Commission warned that the rule of law, democracy and human rights were in danger as long as Poland was embroiled in a constitutional crisis. (ał)
Source: PAP, IAR