The European Commission has sent a formal notice to Poland to pay about 70m euros in fines for failing to lift illegal disciplinary action against judges, a spokesman said, escalating a dispute between Warsaw and the European Union over the rule of law, Reuters reported.
The case is one of many disputes between the EU and Poland's ruling Law and Justice Party (PiS), which came to power in 2015 and has since faced accusations of undermining democratic freedoms.
Last October, the EU's Supreme Court fined Warsaw for failing to immediately suspend the work of the Polish Supreme Court's Disciplinary Chamber pending a final verdict on the scheme.
The Commission insists that the disciplinary system allows for political interference in the courts and therefore violates the laws in the 27-nation EU, as well as in Poland, which establish the independence of the judiciary.
Commission spokesman Christian Wiegand said on Thursday that a "call for payment" had already been sent to Warsaw for failing to lift the disciplinary regime, as ordered by the European Court of Justice.
Earlier, sources told Reuters that the fines amounted to about 70m euros and that the Commission would give Warsaw about 45 days to pay.
The EC is already blocking Poland's access to billions of euros in EU incentives designed to help the economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.
More from the EU's shared budget of 1.1 trillion euros ($ 1.25 trillion) by 2027 is pledged as the bloc grows stronger in its intention not to pay money to countries that could direct the means to support policies that undermine liberal democratic principles.
Warsaw says judicial reform was needed to make the courts more efficient and end communist influence. The nationalist PiS party also says it will not submit to what it calls EU blackmail.
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