Polish Leader Vows To Target Media After 'Radical' Reform Of Courts

Jaroslaw Kaczynski

Poland's powerful ruling party leader on July 27 vowed to keep pushing for "radical" reform of the court system despite opposition from the European Union and presidential vetoes, and said his next goal will be to "decentralize" the media.

Law and Justice party leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski told Polish television networks he expects "very strong resistance" to his conservative nationalist party's plans to reduce concentration in the media.

He didn't give details, but party leaders have previously announced plans to limit foreign ownership of private media companies in Poland.

Many Polish newspapers have German or Swiss owners, while an American company owns the country's largest private television broadcaster, TVN.

Kaczynski vowed to quickly finish overhauling the court system despite President Andrzej Duda's rejection this week of two bills giving the ruling party more power over the Supreme Court and other aspects of the judicial system.

Kaczynski called the vetoes "a very serious mistake...The reform of the judiciary must be radical, because partial reform won't change anything."

The EU took legal action against Poland over the court reforms on July 26, saying they undermine the independence of judges and break EU rules.

The planned judiciary changes sparked large nationwide protests for more than a week.

Based on reporting by AP, AFP, and Reuters