WARSAW, June 16 (Xinhua) -- Amended laws on the Supreme Court (SN) and common court system introducing changes to the extraordinary appeal and court assessors' appointment proceedings came into force in Poland on Saturday, local media reported.
According to Polish Press Agency, Polish President Andrzej Duda signed into law a draft amendment to the SN act put forward by the ruling party Law and Justice on May 22.
Under the new law, extraordinary appeals against court verdicts to the Supreme Court will be filed only by the Prosecutor General and the National Ombudsman.
According to the amended law on common court system, court assessors are going to be appointed by the president and not the justice minister, as had been the case until now.
The amendment has also introduced a solution whereby the president would consult the National Judicial Council (KRS) on decisions prolonging the tenure of a Supreme Court judge who reaches retirement age -- 65 years.
On Dec. 20 last year, the European Commission took an unprecedented step by triggering Article 7, the first time in its history, and launched an unprecedented censure against Poland over a judicial reform dispute. The European Commission doubted Poland's laws reforming the Supreme Court and the National Judicial Council might be undermining the EU's rule-of-law principles.
