The government has opted to pause the Polish nominations for two EU judicial posts: a Judge of the Court of Justice of the European Union for the 2021-2027 term and a Judge of the General Court for the 2022-2028 term. This decision was communicated to the Prime Minister’s Chancellery and announced to the public.
In a subsequent statement, the Council of Ministers indicated it would withdraw the candidacy of Dr. Hab Dobrochna Bach-Golecka for the Court of Justice post for the 2021-2027 term and the candidacies of Judge Aleksandra Rutkowska and Dr. Hab Arkadiusz Radwan for the General Court post for the 2022-2028 term. The council said these changes were made as part of a broader review of the selection process.
Reasons for the government’s decision
The cabinet asserted that the selection procedures surrounding the named candidates did not meet the standards expected for such high-profile positions. In its view, the process moved through interviews in a compressed timeframe, all conducted in a single day. Additionally, the competition team was said to have consisted largely of individuals who were not specialists in European Union law, particularly the Court of Justice’s case law. As a result, the core legal considerations could not be adequately weighed in the team’s determinations.
As stated in the official announcement, these concerns prompted the re-evaluation of the candidacies and the decision to withdraw certain nominations.
The Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) comprises 27 judges, each representing a different member state. The General Court of the European Union, which serves as the Court of First Instance, includes two judges from each member state and handles a wide range of civil and administrative cases.
[Citation: wPolityce]