EU monitors escalating row over Poland's Constitutional Tribunal appointments

The European Commission (EC) has said it is closely monitoring the crisis surrounding Poland's Constitutional Tribunal following a confrontation outside the institution's headquarters on Friday evening, broadcast live on television.

The incident has brought renewed attention to a conflict that has been ongoing for more than a decade, Euronews reports, CE Report quotes MOLDPRES.

“It is for the Polish authorities to ensure that the Constitutional Tribunal operates in accordance with the Polish Constitution and respects the relevant case law of the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU),” a Commission spokesperson told Euronews on Saturday.

He stressed that the appointment of eight new members of the Constitutional Tribunal falls within the constitutional powers of the Sejm, Poland's parliament.

The spokesperson also referred to an interim measures ruling issued by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) on May 5, 2026, calling on the relevant Polish authorities “to refrain from preventing the judges appointed by the Sejm in March 2026 from taking up their positions and performing their judicial duties.”

Prime Minister Donald Tusk addressed the Polish public in a televised speech on Saturday evening, marking his first major response to the crisis.

He described Friday's events as “scandalous incidents” and expressed hope that such scenes would never happen again in Poland.

“Restoring calm cannot mean accepting illegality or violence,” Tusk said, pledging to restore the conditions necessary for an independent judiciary and the rule of law.

“A democratic state must be strong and capable of ensuring that justice is respected,” he said, assuring the public that the rule of law would prevail over violence.

The crisis escalated on Friday evening after President Karol Nawrocki entered the headquarters of the Constitutional Tribunal, where he is blocking the appointments of new judges.

Police surrounded the building as a confrontation unfolded live on television, illustrating the growing deadlock between the president and the government over the composition of Poland's highest constitutional court.

The Tusk government maintains that it is continuing reforms considered necessary to restore the rule of law after years of what it describes as interference by the nationalist Law and Justice party (PiS) in the judicial system.

The opposition, in turn, accuses the government of attempting to stage a coup.

Co-chairs of the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) group on Saturday condemned the Polish government's actions as a violation of the rule of law and expressed support for President Karol Nawrocki.

“The actions of the Tusk government constitute a clear and serious violation of the rule of law. We condemn this attack on judicial independence and constitutional guarantees in Poland. No government is above the law,” ECR Co-Chair Nicola Procaccini said.

He called on European institutions “not to turn a blind eye” and stressed that respect for national sovereignty and judicial independence must remain a matter of principle, “independent of political alliances.”

The legitimacy of Poland's Constitutional Tribunal has been disputed for more than a decade.

The dispute dates back to 2015, when Tusk's Civic Platform, then in power, and the opposition Law and Justice party clashed over the appointment of five judges.

Since then, the disagreement has evolved into a broader conflict over judicial independence, the composition of the Constitutional Tribunal and the authority of its rulings.

Photo: Pexels (Free Stock Photos)