In Autumn 2015, the Law and Justice party (PiS) was swept in to power in both the presidency and the parliament in Poland. This was the first time since 1989 a single party has secured the both echelons of power.
The Conservative government have since enacted some reforms which according to independent observers could seriously curtail the privacy and freedom in Poland. Following the changes to the polish law which would hand the government the hiring and firing power in state media, the PiS government headed by the Prime Minister Beata Szydło has proposed even more extensive powers such as expanding government access to digital data and allow for greater surveillance by police.
These measures have met with protests in Poland as well as criticisms from the EU. On 23rd January thousands of Poles gathered to the streets of Warsaw to protest against these measures which according to them are rather authoritarian.
Meanwhile in Europe, President Martin Schulz of the European Parliament and Commission vice-president Timmermans have voiced concern for the freedom and pluralism of Poland’s public-service television and radio and for the status of the Constitutional Court. They have wowed to take concrete action. The European Parliament will debate the state of the rule of law and restrictions to press freedom in Poland next week, following statements by the Council and the Commission and a declaration by the Polish Prime minister.
This is the latest stage on European front against these controversial legislative reforms that according to observers are at odds with the principles of the European Union. On 13 January the European Commission decided to start the first stage of the "Framework for addressing systemic threats to the Rule of Law" in Poland.
This was an unprecedented inquiry to find out whether the Polish laws break EU democratic laws. The EU mechanism entitled “Rule of Law mechanism” allows to put pressure to a member state who has enacted any measures considered a "systemic threat" to fundamental EU values. However, the Polish Prime Minister addressing the Polish parliament denied that her government had violated democratic norms. "Democracy is alive and well in Poland," further stated, adding that the government was carrying out a programme supported by the Poles which carried her party to a sweeping election victory in October 2015.
The Polish government have nevertheless tried to play down the implications of such a European inquiry. A government spokesman talking about the inquiry stated recently that it’s a purely a procedural matter and would not have any consequences towards the relations between Poland and the EU in the long run. Furthermore, the Polish Foreign minister Witold Waszczykowski told Reuters news agency the Commission had no right to evaluate changes to Poland's public media law and it had overlooked recent changes in the make-up of the Constitutional Court, which has decided to take in two judges nominated by the governing Law and Justice party.
In the meantime, European Parliament President Martin Schulz referred to a “coup” in Poland and a "dangerous 'Putinisation' of European politics", apparently in reference to the Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin who’s also accused by the European community of threatening the democratic values in Russia. This obviously sends a strong message to the Polish government, despite the fact that they are trying to downplay the issue in public.
Furthermore, another EU Commissioner Guenther Oettinger has accused Poland of threatening "common European values". So the message from the EU to Poland is clear, hands off the Constitution or face the consequences.
Sources:
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-35392526
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-35303912
http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-14-237_en.htm
http://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/news-room/plenary/2016-01-18/1