I have summarised the process of rule-of-law repair in Poland in an 18-page report for @gmfus.bsky.social. I also consider who, in 2026, will more often set the tone for proposals on judicial reform: the cabinet of Donald Tusk or President Karol Nawrocki.

📢The 2026 ICON•S Annual Conference Call for Submissions is out! Join us in #Dublin from June 29 – July 1, 2026! Read the 🧵for details ⬇️

W tych nieustająco ciekawych czasach z @annawojcik.bsky.social w OKO.press nagrałyśmy podcast o tym, po co decentralizować władzę w Polsce i co z tego wynika. Bardzo zapraszam do odsłuchu! oko.press/decentraliza.... 1/2

President Nawrocki starts his five-year term in Poland. This presidency is expected to bring a much more difficult cohabitation with Tusk's government than under President Duda. Nawrocki is set to clash with the government over the rule of law. And he is already criticizing judges. Let's unpack.

We'll see whether the Tusk government will be a mere interlude or the beginning of a sustained democratic renewal in Poland. Paradoxically, Nawrocki’s hardline presidency may galvanize voters who fear Viktor Orbán-style illiberalism. cc: @illsp.bsky.social

Adam Bodnar is an international hero for the rule of law. If the government of Poland feels it must expel him, they are abandoning the values they purported to defend.

The Adam Bodnar era as Minister of Justice in Poland exposed all the paradoxes of liberal democracy and how difficult it is to repair a state after years of deliberate erosion of democratic standards and the rule of law. oko.press/koniec-epoki...

Big government reshuffle in Poland. Donald Tusk has decided that Justice Minister Adam Bodnar's 1.5-year mission to repair the rule of law and improve the efficiency of the courts has come to an end. In spring, I have summarized main achievements and challenges of the rule of law repair in Poland ⬇️

🇵🇱⚖️Adam Bodnar is out as the Polish Minister of Justice/Prosecutor General, why? First, being a good academic/human rights defender doesn't necessarily make you a good politician; second, you can't please everyone who wants to be pleased; third, timid people aren't suited for savage times. 1/

Komisja Europejska w dorocznym raporcie o stanie praworządności chwali Polskę - niekiedy na wyrost. Zaleca kontynuowanie reformy sądów i wprowadzenie szeroko zakrojonej reformy systemu medialnego. Rząd Tuska ma wiele do zrobienia, a pole manewru może ograniczyć prezydent. oko.press/komisja-euro...

Our democracies are grounded in the rule of law, the very safeguard of our rights. But, how is it applied in EU countries? Today we'll share our findings. Stay tuned for the Annual Rule of Law report ↓

Taking the opportunity of my travel to Warsaw to attend the #WorldJusticeForum2025 to catch up with this excellent - but depressing - overview of the #ruleoflaw state of play in Poland & likely future developments

🇵🇱 "This result underscores the strong polarization of the Polish electorate and is set to profoundly influence the country’s democratic trajectory." @annawojcik.bsky.social‬ analyzes the outcome of Poland's presidential election and its impact on the restoration of the rule of law:

✍️ In her op-ed, @annawojcik.bsky.social examines the outcome of Poland’s presidential election and explores what the future strategy of the pro-democratic governing coalition must entail. 🇵🇱🗳️ 🧑‍💻 Read it now: 👉 tinyurl.com/2nyy2rhp

For the duration of his term, Nawrocki’s five-year presidency will significantly hinder, and may even entirely block, the resolution of the constitutional crisis in which Poland has been mired since a decade - my take for @revdem2020.bsky.social revdem.ceu.edu/2025/06/11/r...

Spot on: „The message listed all of the crimes allegedly committed by a series of Polish center-right and center-left governments, twisting the record and rewriting the history of the past 30 years into a story of trauma and victimization.” The PiS narrative of decline of Poland in the 1990s-2000s.

Latest action from @goodlobbyprofs.bsky.social: In short, we lodged a complaint with @ec.europa.eu under the Conditionality Regulation requesting the activation of this instrument in relation to the deliberate & systemic deterioration of the #ruleoflaw in Slovakia www.thegoodlobby.eu/the-good-lob...

The Polish paradox: - Poles are most enthusiastic about European Union membership when it comes to thinking the EU will help them face the future - 51% voted for a candidate who will prevent Poland playing its full role in the EU.

Disagree. This election was, once again, about disdain for Tusk and elites. And on the other hand, about dissilusionment of progressives and no strong vision.

The rule of law in Poland Transition 2.0 chapter 1 has been closed. We are in the new era. Tune in at 11:30 a.m. (registration link in the @epc-official.bsky.social post).

A long wait for the National Electoral Commission’s conference on Monday. *smiles in Polish*

The result of Polish presidential election will hinge on how different voter groups mobilize. The night from Sunday into Monday will certainly be dramatic. On June 2nd, we’ll be discussing the results at the @epc-official.bsky.social with Eric Maurice, Maria Skóra and Melchior Szczepanik.

📣 Join us on Monday for the online Elections Monitor organised by the @epc-official.bsky.social and hosted by @ericmaurice.bsky.social to discuss #Poland 🇵🇱 With @annawojcik.bsky.social, Melchior Szczepanik and yours truly. ➡️ Monday, Jun 2, 11:30-12:30 ➡️ Registration: www.epc.eu/events/after...

“The European Commission is set to approve Poland’s request to shift almost €6 billion in EU post-Covid funding from green projects to defense, one EU and one Polish government official told POLITICO.” www.politico.eu/article/eu-p...

Our cover this week @economist.com

I've spent years reporting on how democracies die. And I've noticed something: by international standards, Donald Trump is really, really bad at destroying a democracy. And that should give us real reason for hope. www.vox.com/politics/410...

The crowd at the conference on the role of civil society in the rule of law defense, organized in Warsaw by the Ministry of Justice as part of the Polish EU Presidency.

📢 The #CJEU’s 2024 Year in Review is now online! 📊 Discover key decisions, vital statistics, and a special jurisprudence focus in an interactive HTML format. 🔗 Read it here in English and French 👉 curia.europa.eu/panorama/202... #CJEU #EULaw #CaseLaw #AnnualReport

The Council of Europe is preparing 'The New Democratic Pact – A Commitment for 21st-Century Democratic Security in Europe'. On April 15, I had the honour of addressing the Rapporteur Group on Democracy (GR-DEM).

The suspension and reduction of US democracy funding have created a shortfall of around $2 billion per year. It is clear that Europe alone cannot compensate for this gap, but there are still strategic actions Europe can take during these challenging times. Continue reading 👇

Very poor take. Leaving aside that there is no evidence for an electoral backlash, no one should be above the law and upholding the law should not be dependent upon electoral consequences.

Coalitions of the willing are back in vogue, with Macron hosting another summit tomorrow in Paris. Here’s a chart I made on forms of differentiated integration and political cooperation in Europe:

"Practices in academia are not identical to those in courts, law firms, and hospitals – but there are overlaps in what it means to be a professional. Since aspiring autocrats will attack any source of independent judgment, professions should stand up for each other."

🇵🇱⚖️How to fit an explainer on the current state of the Polish rule of law crisis in 2k words? Notes From Poland asked me to do just that, and I hope I didn't leave too much on the cutting floor of my brief piece on where we are with some key elements of repairing the rule of law and judiciary.

European Court of Human Rights’s has a lot of relevant case law, including Bączkowski and Others v. Poland - a case originating from an attempt by the mayor of Warsaw Lech Kaczyński to block 🏳️‍🌈 Equality March in 2005.

Very interesting in the light of current academic debate on the Venice Commission’s approach to assessing the planned or even hypothetical rule of law reforms in Poland, among others.

Interesting EU Agency for Fundamental Rights ongoing project 'How to prevent ROL backsliding through Fundamental Rights' - Findings and analytical report expected 2026. fra.europa.eu/en/project/2...

The leaders of Poland have already tried it. Although apparently Netanjahu never planned to attend the commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the Auschwitz camp liberation this January. But the assurances were made.

President Duda has vetoed a bill guaranteeing that properly appointed judges of the Supreme Court would certify presidential elections in Poland. Duda is consistent in his deepening of the constitutional crisis and rejecting European court rulings about neo-judges" I argued in Wydarzenia 24.

Hungary's draft 15th constitutional amendment has at least 2 legal "innovations": ◾ *suspension* of citizenship of dual (non-EU) citizens threatening national security ◾ a child's right to proper development trumping *all* basic rights except for right to life www.parlament.hu/irom42/11152...

Why (and since when) did European institutions begin referring to #europeanvalues? Find out here in my new essay ‘A Critical History of the Use of ‘European Values’’ (open access): link.springer.com/chapter/10.1...

Morning Bluesky. The first big sign that Orban’s Fidesz is in trouble in Hungary. Big swing to Peter Magyar’s TISZA. Maybe Trump really is poisoning the well for Far Right demagogues.

Illiberal groups close to Fidesz and PiS in Hungary and Poland dream of crippling the EU Court of Justice and the EU Commission. Because in the absence of domestic checks and balances, the EU pushed for the rule of law compliance.

Last night State Department sent Freedom House notification of termination of a multi-year, multimillion dollar grant for work on transnational repression that I spent most of the last year developing and setting up.

I wonder how this will play out in the presidential campaign. Would it hurt Trzaskowski, and how would the far-right candidate approach it? Men in their late 30s and younger have not undergone any compulsory military training in Poland.

Lots of terrible & misinformed takes on Poland tonight, proving once again how shallow the coverage of Poland by most international media is: this time based on an out of context misreading of Tusk’s remark on nuclear & a misunderstanding of his comments on military training. 🫠

Feeling down because of the autocratization happening in many democracies? The Polish case study might lift your spirits — in a 🇵🇱 way. Meaning: we’re not all smiles, but there’s some hope ahead. Join at 6:30 p.m. CET at @academycologne.bsky.social academy-humanrights.uni-koeln.de/en/news/the-...

🚫🗣️Viktor Orbán’s Sovereignty Protection Office has already been harassing 🇭🇺 investigative journalists and civil society, but now Orbán has vowed to eliminate the “Soros network” and the “empire” by Easter. What does this mean? Read Political Capital Institute’s analysis on @vsquare.bsky.social.👇

5 EUMS have over 40 leading ECHR cases pending implementation: Bulgaria, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Romania. These states (with 4 CoE non-EU countries) also have the highest numbers of leading ECHR cases which have been pending implementation for more than 5 years pace.coe.int/en/news/9788...

Zapytałam Adama Bodnara, Ministra Sprawiedliwości i Prokuratora Generalnego, o to jak ocenia postępy w przywracaniu praworządności. W podkaście OKO.press Drugi Rzut Oka usłyszycie m.in., który wariant uregulowania statusu wadliwie powołanych sędziów jest bliższy ministrowi.