Top Poland court rejects EU court injunctions as invalid

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Poland’s constitutional court has ruled that temporary injunctions issued by the European Union’s top court regarding Poland’s judiciary conflict with the nation’s constitution and are not binding.

Legal observers interpreted the decision from Poland’s Constitutional Tribunal as a move by Poland’s right-wing government to undermine the power of EU laws within the country and even a step away from the 27-nation bloc. Poland joined the EU in 2004.

“The refusal to implement rulings of the European Court of Justice in Poland is a clear step towards taking Poland out of the European Union,” Jeroen Lenaers, a European Parliament member from the Netherlands, said.

“We fear that the Polish government is on the path to Polexit,” Lenaers said.

The Wednesday ruling involved an interim decision by the European Court of Justice that ordered the suspension of a new chamber at Poland’s Supreme Court that was set up to discipline judges.

Poland’s Constitutional Tribunal is expected to rule soon on whether EU law takes primacy over Poland’s Constitution. The decision Wednesday was seen as an indication of how the tribunal’s judges might rule.

The Associated Press