The new government has a plan to facilitate negotiations with Duda. Tusk is ready to get personally involved
The Ministry of Justice is preparing a new act on the National Court Register. Several amendments are intended to facilitate negotiations with Andrzej Duda so that the matter does not cause extreme controversy in the Presidential Palace. Donald Tusk is ready to personally convince the head of state not to have a veto.
On Wednesday, December 20, the Sejm adopted a resolution on the depoliticization of the National Council of the Judiciary. It called for the discontinuation of the activities of the National Council of the Judiciary. Wirtualna Polska reported that in January the Ministry of Justice will present a draft law on changing the method of electing fifteen members of the National Council of the Judiciary. Several amendments are intended to facilitate negotiations with Andrzej Duda. The change should not cause extreme controversy in the Presidential Palace.
Donald Tusk is to be ready to personally convince the president of the proposed solutions. However, the Presidential Palace sets its own conditions and absolutely does not agree to question the status of judges appointed at the request of the new National Council of the Judiciary. This matter is to be resolved in a separate bill.
The Ministry of Justice is preparing a new act on the National Council of the Judiciary
Adam Bodnar also spoke, revealing some of the ministry’s plans on Polsat News. – We currently have three acts on the National Council of the Judiciary. One project was prepared by the Association of Judges “Themis”, the second – by the Association of Polish Judges “Iustitia”, the third is a Senate project that has been on the Senate’s website for two years – explained the Minister of Justice.
– My role is to take the best of these projects and present them as a draft bill, so I will have a quite busy period between the holidays – added Bodnar. The Minister of Justice explained that he wanted to prepare the bill by the end of the year in order “to start normal public consultations and so that this project could be adopted and work on it in Parliament in January.”
Adam Bodnar about the National Council of the Judiciary
Bodnar would like to “give up the political factor” in the case of the procedure for electing judges to the National Council of the Judiciary, because eight people are already important in this matter. The Minister of Justice would not like the National Council of the Judiciary to include only representatives of the highest courts and courts of appeal, but also district court judges. Bodnar also drew attention to “the maximum competitiveness and transparency of this process, i.e. something like a mini general election.”
The Minister of Justice said that Duda emphasized during his swearing-in that he did not want to be surprised by regulations. – It is not in Poland’s interest that we strive at all costs to adopt regulations that will not solve a given problem, will be morally right and accurate, and will end with one big veto – concluded Bodnar.
