Speaking on Wednesday, Żurek said he believed it was necessary “for the good of all citizens” to resolve the deadlock in the judiciary.
He added that if he and the newly inaugurated conservative president could not reach an agreement, he had a backup plan.
Żurek was responding to Nawrocki’s inaugural address to the National Assembly, in which the newly sworn-in president said that the rule of law had to be restored in Poland.
Nawrocki said it was difficult to speak of a lawful state “in which the legally appointed national prosecutor does not function and where Article 7 of the constitution is regularly violated.”
Article 7 of the Polish constitution states that public authorities must act on the basis of and within the limits of the law.
In his address, Nawrocki said he would not promote or nominate judges who, in his view, undermine the constitutional and legal order of the country.
Żurek, a former judge known for his vocal opposition to judicial reforms carried out by the previous right-wing Law and Justice (PiS) government, acknowledged that he and the president may differ in how they interpret the constitution, but said he hoped to find common ground.
"We had a whole series of laws passed during the PiS era that flagrantly and blatantly violated the constitution," he said.
He cited changes that, in his view, unlawfully shortened the terms of constitutional bodies and enabled political takeovers of key institutions.
The justice minister pledged to follow the constitution and the international conventions to which Poland is a party.
He said he would propose legislative solutions in the public interest and expected any disagreement from the president to be legally justified.
"That is where I believe the president will face the greatest difficulty," Żurek said.
He reaffirmed that restoring the rule of law is his primary goal.
"I will pursue this with every moment of my life and every decision I make," he said.
(rt/gs)
Source: IAR, PAP