ODIHR Director Gísladóttir welcomes Polish President’s decision for further consultation on draft laws on judiciary

WARSAW, 24 July 2017 - Ingibjörg Sólrún Gísladóttir, Director of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, welcomed today’s announcement by Polish President Andrzej Duda that further, broader consultation was necessary on two draft laws on the judiciary passed by the parliament last week.

“Legislation that so directly affects one of the pillars of any democratic society – an independent judiciary – should be the result of an open, broad and thorough process of consultation involving all interested parties, including the judiciary, civil society and the expert community,” the ODIHR Director said.

In a final opinion published in May of this year on the draft amendments to the law on the National Judiciary Council, ODIHR raised concerns over their potential negative impact on judicial independence. In line with its mandate to assist governments in meeting their OSCE commitments and, following a request by the Supreme Court’s First President, ODIHR is also currently preparing an opinion on the draft law on the Supreme Court.

“All countries in the OSCE have committed to guaranteeing the independence of the judiciary, and further consultation is in line with that commitment,” Gísladóttir said. “Our Office remains ready to assist Poland in the ongoing process of judicial reform in the country.”