European parliament backs action against Poland over reforms of judiciary, state media

EU lawmakers have supported the European Commission’s plans to take unprecedented punitive steps against Poland over reforms of its judiciary and state media that they say threaten the rule of law. The EU’s Executive Commission has recommended a procedure that could theoretically lead to Poland losing its voting rights in the EU unless it concedes ground by March 20 on the issue of political control of the judiciary, Reuters said. On Thursday, the European Parliament voted 422 in favor to 147 against, with 48 abstentions, on a non-binding resolution to support the commission’s tough stance towards Warsaw. Poland’s ruling Law and Justice Party (PiS) says its reforms are an internal matter. Also on Thursday, a new Holocaust law that has angered Israel and the US came into force.