Post by Bonobo on Mar 5, 2016 19:27:33 GMT 1
Government wants Venice Commission to delay final report on Poland
March 3, 2016
Poland's foreign minister Witold Waszczykowski said Wednesday that following the leak to the press of a draft version of the Venice Commission’s critical report concerning recent changes in the country the government demands that issue of the final opinion would be postponed until June.
The commission was expected to adopt a final report by March 11.
At issue is the draft report by the Venice Commission, an advisory body of the human rights watchdog Council of Europe, concerning an amendment to Poland's Constitutional Tribunal act, which the authors said obstructs the functioning of the institution as well as violates basic values of democracy, rule of law, and human rights. The report also said that the Polish government must not ignore Constitutional Tribunal's rulings. The draft was published in the weekend issue of Gazeta Wyborcza newspaper.
After taking power last November, the ruling conservative Law and Justice (PiS) party changed laws that regulate the functioning of the Constitutional Tribunal in a way that was seen unconstitutional by critics.
Waszczykowski then asked the commission for opinion “in order to end the controversy surrounding it. The commission delegation visited Poland on February 8 to scrutinize the controversial amendment.
Waszczykowski said he was indignant with the leak and said that it has undermined Poland's trust in the commission and it will have a negative effect on Poland's view of the opinion.
"We assumed in good faith that the Venice Commission draft report would be debated in a confidential manner by us and the Commission, and would be made public after it is finally agreed with us,” Waszczykowski said.
He also said that the Venice Commission is “embarking on the dangerous path of a political row” with Warsaw.
Waszczykowski had earlier wrote a letter to Council of Europe Secretary General Thorbjoern Jagland in which he said that the leak was used by the Polish opposition to “brutally attack the government for purely political reasons.”
Jagland said in a statement that the leak was "unfortunate" and asked for all debate to stop until the final opinion is published.
The government believes the Venice Commission has been pressured by the European Commission's Vice-President Frans Timmermans, who is punishing Poland for "speaking its own voice," a cabinet insider told the daily Rzeczpospolita. Warsaw also wants next week's debate in the Human Rights Commission of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe to be called off, as the assembly has been "manipulated," deputy Foreign Minister Aleksander Stepkowski reportedly told the Council of Europe head Thorbjorn Jagland. Meanwhile, Poland is preparing a comment to the Venice Commission's report.
www.warsawvoice.pl/WVpage/pages/article.php/34718/news
March 3, 2016
Poland's foreign minister Witold Waszczykowski said Wednesday that following the leak to the press of a draft version of the Venice Commission’s critical report concerning recent changes in the country the government demands that issue of the final opinion would be postponed until June.
The commission was expected to adopt a final report by March 11.
At issue is the draft report by the Venice Commission, an advisory body of the human rights watchdog Council of Europe, concerning an amendment to Poland's Constitutional Tribunal act, which the authors said obstructs the functioning of the institution as well as violates basic values of democracy, rule of law, and human rights. The report also said that the Polish government must not ignore Constitutional Tribunal's rulings. The draft was published in the weekend issue of Gazeta Wyborcza newspaper.
After taking power last November, the ruling conservative Law and Justice (PiS) party changed laws that regulate the functioning of the Constitutional Tribunal in a way that was seen unconstitutional by critics.
Waszczykowski then asked the commission for opinion “in order to end the controversy surrounding it. The commission delegation visited Poland on February 8 to scrutinize the controversial amendment.
Waszczykowski said he was indignant with the leak and said that it has undermined Poland's trust in the commission and it will have a negative effect on Poland's view of the opinion.
"We assumed in good faith that the Venice Commission draft report would be debated in a confidential manner by us and the Commission, and would be made public after it is finally agreed with us,” Waszczykowski said.
He also said that the Venice Commission is “embarking on the dangerous path of a political row” with Warsaw.
Waszczykowski had earlier wrote a letter to Council of Europe Secretary General Thorbjoern Jagland in which he said that the leak was used by the Polish opposition to “brutally attack the government for purely political reasons.”
Jagland said in a statement that the leak was "unfortunate" and asked for all debate to stop until the final opinion is published.
The government believes the Venice Commission has been pressured by the European Commission's Vice-President Frans Timmermans, who is punishing Poland for "speaking its own voice," a cabinet insider told the daily Rzeczpospolita. Warsaw also wants next week's debate in the Human Rights Commission of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe to be called off, as the assembly has been "manipulated," deputy Foreign Minister Aleksander Stepkowski reportedly told the Council of Europe head Thorbjorn Jagland. Meanwhile, Poland is preparing a comment to the Venice Commission's report.
www.warsawvoice.pl/WVpage/pages/article.php/34718/news