Poland calls EU threats over changes to top court illegal

Berlin: The leader of Poland`s governing conservative Law and Justice (PiS) party on Thursday lashed out at an EU disciplinary process that is piling pressure on Warsaw, saying the European Commission is acting illegally.

On Wednesday the commission escalated the long-running spat over Warsaw`s controversial moves to shake up the country`s constitutional court, giving Poland a three-month deadline to restore full powers to the tribunal.

"This process is totally outside the EU`s treaties. This is nothing but a jolly delight for the European Commission and its officials," PiS leader and former prime minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski told Germany`s Bild tabloid.

The commission`s move on Wednesday was the second step in an unprecedented process which could eventually see Warsaw`s voting rights suspended in the Council of Ministers, the EU`s highest decision-making body.
Kaczynski said it was ironic to be criticised by Frans Timmermans -- the Dutch vice-president of the commission responsible for handling the issue -- as the Netherlands does not have a constitutional court.
"It`s absurd," he said.
The Polish government has refused to publish a March judgement by the constitutional court that would strike down the changes to the body, or any rulings that 

The PiS party swept to power late last year and immediately pushed through legislation which critics say paralysed the constitutional court.

The European Commission launched an initial probe in January to see if the changes violated EU rules and warranted punitive measures.