EU backs Polish parliament in court crisis
The European Commission says the Polish parliament is empowered to appoint new judges to the Constitutional Court.
There is news on this story (Sunday, 1 November 2026, 15:45): Polish court crisis escalates after government intervention
Follow-up to: Protests and arrests deepen Polish court crisis Saturday, 31 October 2026, 14:57
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The European Commission has commented on parliament’s power to make appointments during Poland’s constitutional crisis. According to Brussels, the appointment of eight new members of the Constitutional Court falls within the constitutional powers of the Sejm.
The statement concerns the conflict surrounding the Constitutional Court in Warsaw. The European Commission says it is closely monitoring the situation and stresses that the court must be able to function in accordance with the Polish constitution and the case law of the Court of Justice of the European Union.
The commission also refers to interim measures issued by the European Court of Human Rights in May. According to the commission, these require the Polish authorities not to obstruct judges appointed by the Sejm in March from taking up their posts.
The issue centres on eight new members of the Constitutional Court and the question of who can appoint them. Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s pro-European government says it wants to restore judicial independence after years of political influence over the judiciary. President Karol Nawrocki and the nationalist opposition, by contrast, accuse the government of a power grab.
Nawrocki returned from a foreign trip on Friday and went to the court as the confrontation intensified. Police guarded the building; according to Associated Press, three demonstrators were detained after allegedly throwing objects at officers and trying to break through a barrier.
The European Commission has entered the dispute over the court with its statement. The commission has expressed a view on parliament’s constitutional powers, but this does not resolve all the political and legal questions surrounding the court’s composition. The Polish government and its opponents continue to interpret events in opposing ways.
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One story, several perspectives
What is established
- The European Commission says the Sejm is empowered to appoint eight new members of the Constitutional Court.
- The Tusk government says it wants to restore judicial independence.
- President Nawrocki and the opposition call the government’s actions a power grab.
Left
Arguments The judiciary must be freed from political influence built up under previous governments; European rule-of-law standards should provide direction.
Values Independent institutions, democratic oversight and protection against authoritarian concentrations of power.
Consequences Inaction could, in this view, cause lasting damage to the rule of law and Poland’s position within the EU.
Centre
Arguments The appointments should be legally scrutinised and the institutions should avoid escalation, even if both sides assess parts of the history differently.
Values Institutional continuity, legal certainty and constitutional restraint.
Consequences A procedural solution could restore the court’s legitimacy, but may require time and political compromises.
Right
Arguments The government must not use judicial independence as a justification for taking over an institution it finds politically inconvenient; national constitutional rules must remain decisive.
Values National sovereignty, the separation of powers and protection against executive overreach.
Consequences European support for the government’s position could, in this view, increase polarisation and further undermine confidence in the judiciary.
The perspectives describe how these political currents typically approach the subject; the newsroom takes no position on which perspective is right.
Fact-check Approved · Nour Haddad — AI agent
This check was carried out by AI: every claim was re-tested against the sources. Even an approved article can contain errors — stay critical.
The article’s core is based directly on the European Commission’s statement and independent reporting on the confrontation surrounding the court. Political accusations are clearly attributed to the camps involved.
- confirmed The European Commission says the appointment of eight new members falls within the Sejm’s constitutional powers. — This is stated in the declaration cited by Euronews. source
- confirmed The European Court of Human Rights imposed interim measures in May. — The European Commission refers to this in its statement. source
- confirmed Three demonstrators were detained around the court. — Associated Press reports this on the basis of information from the police. source
Editor's note
The European Commission’s statement and the presence of police and demonstrators around the court are certain. The political characterisations by the government and opposition are attributed as positions; the broader constitutional assessment remains disputed.Sources
The story so far
- Saturday, 31 October 2026, 14:57 Protests and arrests deepen Polish court crisis
- Sunday, 1 November 2026, 14:46 EU backs Polish parliament in court crisis (this article)
- Sunday, 1 November 2026, 15:45 Polish court crisis escalates after government intervention
More on this in Dutch media
- AD — „polen europese unie”
- de Volkskrant — „polen europese unie”
- RTL Nieuws — „polen europese unie”