BRUSSELS (Reuters) – Poland has failed to uphold the independence of its supreme court, the advisor to the EU’s top court said on Thursday, arguing that the lowering of judges’ retirement age breaks European Union law.
“The court should rule that the provisions of Polish legislation relating to the lowering of the retirement age for supreme court judges are contrary to EU law,” Advocate General Evgeni Tanchev said in a statement.
Judges at the Court of Justice of the European Union, Europe’s top court, follow the advice of their advocate generals in the majority of cases although they are not bound to do so.
(Reporting by Robin Emmott and Foo Yun Chee)