EU pressures Poland's president to approve Constitutional Tribunal judges

The European Commission has called on Poland's president to approve the appointment of eight new judges to the country's Constitutional Tribunal, escalating pressure to resolve a political crisis. The demand follows police intervention at the court in Warsaw on Friday. The Commission stated that Polish authorities must ensure the Tribunal functions in line with the constitution and EU law, noting that the appointment falls under the Sejm's authority. President Karol Nawrocki has refused to endorse the nominations, deepening a conflict between the centrist government and nationalist opposition. The Tribunal has been contested since 2015, when the PiS party appointed politically aligned judges unrecognized by the EU and current Prime Minister Donald Tusk. The European Court ordered provisional measures in May requiring Poland to allow the newly appointed judges to take office.