Polish Premier Vows to Not Back Down on Disputed Court Overhaul

(Bloomberg) -- Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said his country isn’t ready to make concessions over a disputed court overhaul that prompted the European Commission to ask member states to consider punishing Warsaw for undermining the rule of law.

Morawiecki, speaking to reporters in Warsaw a day after he swapped out nearly half of his cabinet, said Poland needs the judicial revamp to rid the courts from a communist-era legacy. He added that his government will present a white paper in a few weeks that explains why the legislative measures were necessary.

“We’re not in the territory of making concessions," Morawiecki said on Wednesday. "Let’s have a dialog first.”

The government shakeup was seen as a political gesture toward the commission, which last month recommended member states begin the process of sanctioning Poland for democratic backsliding after the government passed legislation giving politicians more control over the courts.

A worst-case scenario could see the country of 38 million losing its voting rights in the world’s biggest trading bloc. That’s unlikely, though, after Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban vowed to prevent EU states from achieving a unanimous vote.

To contact the reporter on this story: Marek Strzelecki in Warsaw at mstrzelecki1@bloomberg.net.

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Andrea Dudik at adudik@bloomberg.net, Michael Winfrey

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