EXPLAINER: Free courts at stake as EU mulls Poland funding

By VANESSA GERA
Associated Press

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — The independence of Poland’s courts is at the heart of a dispute with the European Union, which has withheld billions in pandemic recovery funds to Warsaw over the matter. The EU’s executive branch finally approved Poland’s funding late Wednesday but said its release depends on Warsaw reforming its judiciary. Poland’s government badly needs the money; the inflation rate is nearly 14%, and the country has absorbed around 2 million refugees from Ukraine. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is visiting Poland’s capital on Thursday for discussions. Some are accusing the commission of capitulating to Warsaw, saying the government has been unwilling to make the judicial reforms the EU demands.