Justice Minister Waldemar Żurek told reporters on Saturday that work was also advanced on a separate bill to overhaul the National Council of the Judiciary (KRS), the body that nominates judges.
Żurek said he had raised enrollment limits at the National School of Judiciary and Public Prosecution to bring more young lawyers into the system.
He added that another planned law would allow judges nearing retirement to remain in service longer if they obtain a medical certificate.
The new "rule-of-law bill" aims to clarify the status of judges appointed after December 2017, when reforms to the KRS were introduced by the then-ruling right-wing Law and Justice party (PiS), Żurek said.
Waldemar Żurek. Photo: PAP/Albert Zawada
Critics, including European courts, argue those reforms undermined judicial independence.
The Iustitia association of Polish judges said its board has passed a resolution urging authorities and legal professions to respect rulings by the EU Court of Justice, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), Poland’s Supreme Court and the country’s top administrative court on rule-of-law issues.
The group called on parliament and the government to pass legislation resolving the status of what it termed “defectively appointed judges” and reforming the KRS.
It cited a November 23, 2025 deadline for Poland to comply with an ECHR judgment in a case brought by former president Lech Wałęsa, who successfully argued that the current appointment process for Supreme Court judges violates European standards.
Iustitia head Bartłomiej Przymusiński said the association also expects the justice ministry to prepare a plan in case President Karol Nawrocki vetoes the legislation.
After meeting with Iustitia members, Żurek wrote on X that he felt “the weight of their expectations, but also great support and understanding.”
He reaffirmed his pledge to restore the rule of law, implement European court rulings and “heal the National Council of the Judiciary.”
“The rule-of-law bill regulating the status of judges appointed after 2017 is ready,” Żurek said, adding that he wants experienced judges to return to the bench while young lawyers reinforce the system.
The Polish government in December adopted a resolution acknowledging what it called a rule-of-law crisis affecting judicial institutions.
It said the KRS, reshaped under a 2017 law, lacked independence from political influence, leaving decisions involving judges appointed under that framework at risk of challenge by domestic and international courts.
The resolution cited multiple rulings by the EU Court of Justice and the European Court of Human Rights that criticized Poland’s judicial reforms.
Żurek, a former judge and vocal critic of PiS-era changes, has said many laws passed by the previous government “flagrantly violated the constitution,” unlawfully shortened the terms of constitutional bodies and enabled political takeovers of key institutions.
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Source: IAR, PAP