Ruling Party SecGen Suggests Lower House Will Reject Senate Amendments To Court Law

The ruling coalition will vote against all Senate amendments to a key court bill that returned to the lower house, Law and Justice party's Secretary General Krzysztof Sobolewski told PAP newswire.

• The official noted that the amendments proposed by the opposition-controlled Senate would make the bill unconstitutional and therefore should be rejected.
• He suggested that Poland has met all the requirements of the European Commission and if the court bill becomes law, Warsaw will send the request for the initial recovery funding payouts.
• Sobolewski played down comments from EU Justice Commissioner Reynders, who noted that even if Poland adopts the bill, it would need to prove that the legislation meets the milestones outlined by the Commission before any funds are transferred.
• Law and Justice continues to struggle to persuade its junior coalition partner Solidarna Polska to support the bill, with SP leader Zbigniew Ziobro calling on the Prime Minister to "stop the logic of blackmail" used by the European Commission.
• This means that the ruling party would again have to rely on the support or widespread abstentions from opposition lawmakers in order to pass the bill, before it is sent to the President for his signature.