EU Commission says Polish parliament has right to appoint Constitutional Court judges

Summary

Poland's Constitutional Tribunal dispute dates to 2015, when the PO and PiS political camps clashed over the appointment of five judges. It has since widened into a conflict over judicial independence, the Tribunal's composition and the authority of its rulings. On 1 November 2026, the European Commission said the Polish parliament has the right to appoint judges to the Constitutional Court. That statement followed a confrontation outside the Tribunal building on Friday night, which was broadcast live on television and pushed the decade-old dispute into the wider European political debate.

Timeline

1. Euronews

   31 Oct 2026, 11:52 UTCSource ↗

   Euronews explains that the dispute over Poland's Constitutional Tribunal began in 2015, when PO and PiS clashed over the appointment of five judges, and later escalated into a wider conflict over judicial independence, the Tribunal's composition and the authority of its rulings.

2. Euronews

   1 Nov 2026, 06:04 UTCSource ↗

   Euronews reports that the EU Commission said the Polish parliament has the right to appoint judges to the Constitutional Court, a statement that came after a confrontation outside the Tribunal building on Friday night, broadcast live on television.