Commission launches infringement procedure against Poland for violations of EU law by its Constitutional Tribunal

The European Commission has decided to launch an infringement procedure against Poland because of serious concerns with respect to the Polish Constitutional Tribunal and its recent case law. The Constitutional Tribunal, in its rulings of 14 July 2021 and 7 October 2021, considered the provisions of the EU Treaties incompatible with the Polish Constitution, expressly challenging the primacy of EU law. Poland has two months to reply to the letter of formal notice.

The Commission considers that these rulings of the Constitutional Tribunal are in breach of the general principles of autonomy, primacy, effectiveness and uniform application of Union law and the binding effect of rulings of the Court of Justice of the European Union. In particular, in its July ruling, the Constitutional Tribunal denied the binding effect of any interim measures orders of the Court of Justice issued under Article 279 TFEU to guarantee the effective judicial review by an independent and impartial tribunal established by law. In its October ruling, the Constitutional Tribunal disregarded its obligations under EU law by considering unconstitutional – and thus not having effects in the Polish legal order – the Court of Justice’s interpretation of Article 19(1) TEU according to which a national court may called upon to review the legality of the procedure for appointing a judge and pronouncing itself on any irregularity in the appointment process to verify whether that judge, or the court in which the judge adjudicates, meets the requirements of Article 19(1) TEU.

Furthermore, the Commission considers that these rulings are in breach of Article 19(1) TEU, which guarantees the right to effective judicial protection, by giving it an unduly restrictive interpretation. Thereby it deprives individuals before Polish courts from the full guarantees set out in that provision.

Finally, the Commission has serious doubts on the independence and impartiality of the Constitutional Tribunal and considers that it no longer meets the requirements of a tribunal previously established by law, as required by Article 19(1) TEU. As also highlighted by the Commission in its reasoned proposal under Article 7(1) TEU of 2017 and as held by the European Court of Human Rights in its judgment of 7 May 2021, the process of appointment to the Constitutional Tribunal of three judges in December 2015 occurred in breach of fundamental rules forming an integral part of the establishment and functioning of the system of constitutional review in Poland. The gravity of this breach gives rise to a reasonable doubt in the minds of individuals as to the independence and the impartiality of the judges concerned. This is also shown by other irregularities and deficiencies such as the election of the President and Vice-President of the Constitutional Tribunal, which raised serious concerns as to the impartiality of judges of the Constitutional Tribunal when handling individual cases. Whereas the Constitutional Tribunal is called upon to rule on questions relating to the application or interpretation of EU law, the Commission considers that it can therefore no longer ensure effective judicial protection by an independent and impartial tribunal previously established by law, as required by Article 19(1) TEU, in the fields covered by EU law.

More information

Press release – European Commision