EU orders Poland to pay 70 million euros in spat over judges

By VANESSA GERA
Associated Press

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — The European Union is ordering Poland to pay a fine of nearly 70 million euros ($80 million) for its failure to shut down a disciplinary chamber with the power to suspend or otherwise discipline judges. The European Court of Justice ruled last year that the Disciplinary Chamber isn’t compatible with EU law. The chamber is a body that has suspended judges for rulings unfavorable to the government. The ECJ said it opens up the independent judicial branch to political interference. Poland’s government hasn’t suspended the chamber despite the ruling. A spokesman for the European Commission said Thursday the first call for payments was sent to Warsaw on Wednesday.