Bodnar joined his EU counterparts in Brussels for an informal meeting on Friday to discuss three priority topics: "the European judicial response to drug-related organised crime, the protection of sex workers, and small-scale detention as a form of incarceration aimed at reintegrating and rehabilitating detainees."
Ahead of the meeting, Bodnar said it was the first time in eight years that the Polish justice minister was taking part in such a meeting, as Poland was previously represented by "deputy ministers, as well as state secretaries and undersecretaries."
Bodnar also said that it was crucial for him to participate in a debate "on the shape and future of EU legislation with other member states' ministers."
According to Bodnar, the new Polish government is "determined to restore the rule of law, focusing on an action plan to restore the independence of the National Council of the Judiciary," among other steps.
The Financial Times reported earlier this month that Poland’s new Prime Minister Donald Tusk had vowed to fast-track judicial reforms and announced efforts for Poland to join the European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO).
The British newspaper also reported at the time that Tusk had said he hoped President Andrzej Duda would sign these reforms into law to unblock funds withheld by the European Commission due to a dispute between Warsaw and Brussels over the rule of law under Poland's previous conservative government.
(tf/gs)
Source: IAR, PAP