Polish President Andrzej Duda has signed legislation reinstating Supreme Court judges who were forced into early retirement despite the EU condemning their removal as a violation of democratic standards. Earlier on Monday, the European Court of Justice ruled that Poland needed to suspend a law that lowered the retirement age for Supreme Court judges, and to reappoint around two dozen justices who had been affected by the law. Duda signed the revisions that removed the early retirement provisions, presidential aide Pawel Mucha said late on Monday. The quick response comes amid a broader push by Poland’s conservative ruling party, Law and Justice, to ease tensions with the EU, AP reported. </s> Polish President Andrzej Duda signed legislation late Monday reinstating around two dozen Supreme Court judges forced into early retirement.

Earlier in the day, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) had ordered Poland to immediately suspend a law that lowered the retirement age from 70 to 65.

The Polish parliament passed a revision to the law in late November following an interim ECJ order in October .

The European Commission, the EU's executive arm, had asked the bloc's top court to review the legislation over concerns the reforms gave the government control of the judiciary.

The EU has been in a bitter dispute with Poland's ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party since it made sweeping changes to the judiciary after coming to power in 2015. The government says that the changes were necessary to make the Supreme Court more efficient.

The standoff triggered the EU to launch proceedings against Poland over concern about judicial independence and the rule of law that could see Warsaw lose its voting rights in the bloc.

Critics welcomed the government's reversal, but say PiS has exerted control over top courts and a council that appoints judges.

Monday's court ruling upheld an interim order. A final ECJ decision is expected next year.

Every evening at 1830 UTC, DW's editors send out a selection of the day's hard news and quality feature journalism. You can sign up to receive it directly here. </s> WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Poland's president signed legislation Monday that reinstates Supreme Court judges who were forced into early retirement despite the European Union condemning the removals as a violation of democratic standards.

Earlier in the day, the EU's top court, the European Court of Justice, ruled that Poland needed to suspend a law that lowered the retirement age for Supreme Court judges and to put about two dozen justices the law had affected back on the bench.

President Andrzej Duda signed the revisions that removed the early retirement provisions, presidential aide Pawel Mucha said late Monday. The quick response comes amid a broader push by Poland's conservative ruling party, Law and Justice, to ease tensions with the EU.

Monday's ruling confirmed the Court of Justice's interim judgment from October ordering Poland to reinstate justices who were forced to step down when the retirement age was lowered from 70 to 65. The European Commission, which enforces EU law in member countries, had asked the court to review Poland's law.

The commission viewed the forced retirements of the judges as erosions of judicial independence and democratic standards because it gave the legislative and executive branches of government unprecedented control over the courts.

After the interim injunction, Poland's parliament passed the amended legislation to remove the early retirement provisions.

Critics of the government welcomed the backtracking on the issue of the retirement age but argued more must be done to undo what they see as extensive damage to judicial independence under the Law and Justice.

They say the ruling party's overhaul of the judicial system included capturing control of the Constitutional Court and a council that names judges, as well as other steps that increase its sway over the Supreme Court.

Law and Justice came out of local elections this fall bruised in major cities, where many voters rejected the party's previous euroskeptic course. The EU is extremely popular among Poles, who have grown richer and gained unprecedented freedom to travel and to work abroad thanks to their country's EU membership.

The party has given signs it is embracing a comparatively moderate, EU-friendly program as it gears up for elections to the EU's European Parliament in the spring and to the national parliament in the fall. </s> The EU's top court on Monday upheld a ruling ordering Warsaw to suspend a law lowering the retirement age of its Supreme Court judges amid concerns about Poland's judicial independence.

The European Court of Justice (ECJ) had ordered Poland on October 19 to suspend the law before finalising the "interim measure" on Monday.

"Poland must immediately suspend the application of the provisions of national legislation relating to the lowering of the retirement age for Supreme Court judges," the ECJ said in a statement.

"The pleas of fact and law raised by the (European) Commission justify granting interim measures," the Luxembourg-based court said.

The Commission, the EU's executive arm, has been locked in a bitter battle over sweeping judicial changes introduced by Poland's rightwing Law and Justice (PiS) government since it took office in 2015.

The showdown has led the EU to trigger unprecedented proceedings against Poland over "systemic threats" to the rule of law that could eventually see its EU voting rights suspended.

In early October, the Commission took Poland's government to the ECJ for lowering the age at which Supreme Court judges must retire from 70 to 65.

On October 19, the court ordered Poland to suspend the law "pending the making of an order closing the interim proceedings".

The court, which upheld the interim measures on Monday, is expected to make a permanent decision in the case next year.

On November 21, Poland's parliament bowed to the EU court ruling. But the legislation reversing the Supreme Court retirement law has not yet been promulgated.

Under Polish law, President Andrzej Duda has until midnight Monday to sign the legislation into law. </s> The European Union's top court has ruled Poland must immediately suspend a law that forced some Supreme Court judges to retire, drawing a line under a dispute between Warsaw and Brussels.

Poland's ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party had already agreed to scrap the law that lowered the judges' retirement age after the European Court of Justice issued an interim judgement against the legislation in October.

The Eurosceptic and nationalist PiS initially pushed through a range of new powers after coming to power in 2015 that rights groups and EU officials said threatened the rule of law and increased the government's control over Polish courts.

PiS originally argued the changes were needed to improve the efficiency of the courts and rid the country of a residue of communism.

But it has shown signs of softening its position on a number of issues as it prepares for national elections next year.

President Andrzej Duda, an ally of the ruling party, said late on Monday he had approved revamped legislation to reverse the change to the judges' retirement age. </s> Polish president Andrzej Duda has backtracked on a controversial law that suspended members of the country's supreme court after an international backlash and protests across the country.

The government pushed through an amendment on Monday suspending parts of the law that forced judges into early retirement, a rare example of the country stepping back from a conflict with the EU and adopting a more conciliatory approach.

Mr Duda put his signature to the amendment just hours after the European Court of Justice (ECJ) - an EU body - ordered Poland to reinstate supreme court judges who had been forced to retire or face financial penalties.

The law, which came into effect in July, saw 22 supreme court judges forced to quit their posts before the expiration of the constitutional term.

The law was criticised for being a legal veil for a government-orchestrated purge of judges who did not align politically with the ruling Law and Justice party (PiS), and thousands protested in cities across the country.

Mr Duda on Tuesday suggested that Poland was implementing the injunction only to relieve pressure from Brussels for now, not because it agreed with the decision politically, and that the ruling would not derail the government's programme. </s> EU court orders Poland to suspend law on removal of judges

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — The European Union's top court has ruled Poland must immediately suspend a law that lowered the retirement age for Supreme Court judges.

The European Court of Justice in Luxembourg on Monday confirmed an interim judgment from October to reinstate judges who had been forced into early retirement earlier this year. The court's steps reflect support for the European Commission, which enforces EU law in the 28 member states, in an ongoing standoff with Poland.

The commission viewed the forced early retirement of some two dozen judges as erosions of judicial independence and democratic standards because it gave the legislative and executive branches of government unprecedented control over the courts.

After the interim injunction, Poland's parliament passed amended legislation to remove the early retirement provisions but that still awaits presidential approval. </s> The European Court of Justice ruled on Monday that Poland must "immediately" suspend judicial reforms that imposed earlier retirement ages on justices of its Supreme Court.

The April law backed by Poland's ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party lowered the judges' retirement age from 70 to 65, allowing them to stay on past that age only if they gained the permission of President Andrzej Duda. The measure would have forced about 40 percent of the court's judges, including Chief Justice Małgorzata Gersdorf, into early retirement.

The government argued the measure was needed to rid the court of communist-era holdovers, but the European Commission challenged the law as a danger to the EU's legal order. Critics said the law violated the Polish constitution and was an attempt to purge the court and bring it under tighter political control.

In October, the ECJ issued a provisional ruling that the application of the law be frozen, pending a full hearing before the court, and the judges forced out were allowed to return to work. Monday's ruling confirmed that interim measure. The final judgment will come at a later date.

In Monday's ruling, the EU's top court found that the Commission's arguments about Poland's actions were not unwarranted, and that otherwise "the independence of that court may not be ensured" until the ECJ issues its verdict on the Commission's challenge.

It added that the EU's legal system "could be seriously and irreparably affected" if the law is allowed to continue in force.

Last month, PiS reversed some of the changes to the Supreme Court law. The ruling party has also taken a much more pro-EU public stance, a recognition of the broad popularity of being a member country.

Read this next: Theresa May holds the line as MPs demand early Brexit vote </s> President Andrzej Duda has signed the amendment to the Supreme Court law that allows the judges who were sent to retirement after reaching 65 years of age to return to the court duties, informed the Deputy Chief of the President's Chancellery Paweł Mucha on Monday evening.

EU court orders Poland to immediately suspend the laws on Supreme Court As Mucha announced, a more extensive communique in regard to president's decision should appear later on Monday or on Tuesday morning.

Lower house of Polish parliament adopted the amendment on the 21st of November, two days later it was backed by the Senate. The bill later went to the president who, according to the law, has 21 days to ratify it. Monday, the 17th of December was the deadline.

The amendment pertains to the Supreme Court law from December 2017, that entered into effect on April 3rd 2018. The new law allows the Supreme Court's and the Supreme Administrative Court's judges who were forced into retirement after reaching 65 years of age to return to fulfilling their duties in the position held on the 3rd of April 2018. "Service in the position of Supreme Court and Supreme Administrative Court judge is considered uninterrupted," reads the amendment.

The judges falling in the scope of the amendment may, however, remain retired, as long as they submit a proper statement within 7 days from the day the new law becomes effective. Such statement must be submitted to the president via the National Council of the Judiciary.

Timmermans: Poland needs to resolve all the issues; not only the Supreme Court There can be no... czytaj dalej » The amendment also assumes that if on its basis a judge who used to be the First President of the President of the Supreme Court return to his or hers duties, their tenure will be considered uninterrupted. The regulation pertains to the First President of the Supreme Court Małgorzata Gersdorf, as well as Presidents of two of the courts chambers - Stanisław Zabłocki and Józef Iwulski.

The European Court of Justice ruled earlier on Monday that Poland must immediately suspend a new law that lowered the age of retirement of its Supreme Court judges, provisionally backing the European Commission in its battle with Warsaw.

The top court had already asked Poland in an interim judgment in October to halt the overhaul of its Supreme Court and to reinstate judges forced into early retirement. The court on Monday backed this ruling, saying the suspension of the Polish law was justified. </s> The European Union said Saturday it has launched legal action against Poland's right-wing government over a new law it fears will undermine the independence of the country's common courts.

The move is part of escalating EU pressure on Poland over what Brussels sees as a threat not just to Warsaw's democratic standards but to those across the 28-nation bloc.

"The European Commission launched an infringement procedure against Poland by sending a letter of formal notice," the EU executive said.

Poland published the law reorganising its ordinary courts on Friday.

The EU statement said Poland's governing Law and Justice Party (PiS) had one month to respond to the Commission letter which "raises concerns that ... the independence of Polish courts will be undermined."

The commission pointed to the justice minister getting "discretionary power to prolong the mandate of judges who have reached retirement age as well as to dismiss and appoint court presidents."

Other concerns, it said, include "discrimination on the basis of gender" by setting the retirement age at 60 for female judges and at 65 for their male counterparts.

The justice minister, it said, can "retain influence" over them by extending at any time their mandates -- for up to 10 years for women and up to five years for men.

The action taken by the Commission could lead to Poland being hauled before the bloc's highest court, the European Court of Justice, and eventually being given a fine.

The Commission is also prepared to take more severe action if Warsaw forges ahead with deeper court reforms.

Poland's deputy foreign minister for European affairs, Konrad Szymanski, told the PAP news agency that the EU decision was "unfounded," adding the new common courts law carried proper guarantees.

The action in Brussels was expected after Polish President Andrzej Duda on Tuesday signed into law a measure allowing the justice minister to unilaterally replace the chief justices of the common courts.

However, Duda surprised many inside and outside the PiS government when he vetoed a bill that would have reinforced political control over the Supreme Court and another allowing parliament to choose members of a body designed to protect the independence of the courts.

Polish Prime Minister Beata Szydlo has vowed to push ahead with all the reforms despite the vetoes.

European Commission First Vice President Frans Timmermans on Wednesday warned the "commission is ready to immediately trigger the article 7 procedure" if Supreme Court justices are sacked.

Article 7 is a never-before-used EU process designed to uphold the rule of law, a so-called "nuclear option" that can freeze a country's right to vote in meetings of EU ministers.

The chances are slim that its voting rights could actually be suspended. Populist Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has vowed he would instantly veto any such move by the EU.

The escalating standoff with Poland threatens to deepen an east-west split in the EU.

Hungary itself faces EU legal action over laws targeting education and foreign civil society groups, while Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic also face action for ignoring the bloc's migrant relocation quotas.

Timmermans also sent a letter on Friday to Poland's Foreign Minister Witold Waszczykowski and Justice Minister Zbigniew Ziobro inviting them to Brussels to relaunch a long drawn-out dialogue on the judiciary reforms.

"The Commission's hand is still extended to the Polish authorities, in the hope of a constructive dialogue," Timmermans said, according to the commission.

The legal reforms have triggered mass street protests in Poland and raised fears for the rule of law in one of the EU's leading eastern former communist states.

Brussels and Warsaw have been at loggerheads over the legal changes ever since the right-wing PiS took power in 2015 and announced reforms to Poland's constitutional court.

EU Justice Commissioner Vera Jourova has expressed fears the "whole EU system of mutual recognition of court decisions" could be undermined if Polish judicial independence were undermined.
Polish President Andrzej Duda signs into law the bill, passed by the Parliament of Poland three weeks ago, reinstating the Supreme Court judges who had been forced out of their jobs when legislation to lower the judges's mandatory retirement age was enacted in July. This addresses one of the issues that has been in dispute with the European Union.