Judiciary of Poland

The one-day break in broadcasting, black front pages of newspapers and black home pages of news portals were meant to warn everyone of how the media would look once the nationalist-populist government led by the Law and Justice (PiS) party completes its mission to kill off the independent media.

The publishing of the constitutional court's decision, necessary for it to become law, means abortion will become all but illegal in Poland, given that terminations caused by irreversible damage to the foetus represent about 98 per cent of the abortions conducted legally in the country each year. The ruling's publication had been postponed, reportedly at the behest of the conservative Law and J

A protester holds a Women's Strike symbol in front of police during a demo in Warsaw, Poland, 13 December 2020. EPA-EFE/MARCIN OBARA

Legislative path

Since it took office in 2015, PiS has attempted to tighten the abortion laws several times. Protests have always broken out and proved effective in blocking the reforms from even passing the reading stage in the parliament. However, this time, politicians have taken a legislative path that will be much harder to reverse.

Poland's battered judiciary scored a small but important victory on Tuesday, when Warsaw district court judge Igor Tuleya "survived" a hearing before the Disciplinary Chamber of the Supreme Court.

Experts called it a significant win in the struggle raging over ultimate political control of the Polish judiciary, in which Tuleya is seen as one of the most prominent independent figures.

The Supreme Court of that country issued this statement.
The statement points out that these plans are contrary to European laws and reinforce pre-existing tensions between Brussels and the ruling Polish Party Law and Justice (PiS).

An Athens prosecutor has ordered a preliminary investigation into an incident on Wednesday involving a publisher firing a gun in the air to scare off a court bailiff who had come to serve him papers at his newspaper's offices.

The purpose of the prosecutor's probe is to ascertain whether Stephanos Chios threatened the bailiff and whether he violated gun laws.

Lawmakers in Bulgaria have passed legislation giving creditors the right to ask courts to issue a European distraint order for debtors' assets.

The order can be demanded before the debt litigation has been filed with a first-instance court.

Full and partial refusal to issue such an order can be appealed according to the newly-adopted provisions, Focus News Agency reports.

As the country?s finances reach a critical point, tax authorities have started seizing the deposits of small debtors, Kathimerini understands.

No figures were available regarding the new crackdown but cases of debtors targeted included a citizen with a debt of just 200 euros, Kathimerini understands.