Polish court calls parts of EU law unconstitutional, dispute escalates

Poland's highest court on Thursday ruled that some part of European Union treaties were incompatible with constitution of Poland. This has escalated tension between Poland and European Union as the ruling challenges a pillar of European integration.

Poland's Law and Justice (PiS) party government is embroiled in a battle of values with Brussels, focused on disputes over the independence of courts, media freedoms, LGBT rights and other issues.

Those who criticise Poland's stance say that such a path is not good for Poland's long term future. It also undermines European Union's stability especially after Brexit.

However, PiS denies this and says it has no plans for a "Polexit".

Poland's Constitutional Tribunal took on the case after Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki asked it whether EU institutions could stop Poland from reorganising its judiciary.

On Thursday, Judge Bartlomiej Sochanski said: "The EU Treaty is subordinate to the constitution in the Polish legal system ... and, like any part of the Polish legal system, it must comply with the constitution."

Polish court's verdict was welcomed by the country's Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki

"We want a community of respect and not a grouping of those who are equal and more equal. This is our community, our Union," he said in a Facebook post, referring to the European Union.

"This is the kind of Union we want and that's the kind of Union we will create," Morawiecki said in the post published in the early hours of Friday.

He also said that Poland wants to stay in the "European family of nations."

EU displeased

EU Justice Commissioner Didier Reynders as a reaction to Polish court's ruling, said that the European Commission will use all the "tools at its disposal" to ensure the primacy of EU law in Poland.