Stuart Dowell
@stuartdowell.bsky.social
Journalist, your source for news from Poland. Also editor, content writer, translator
Follow for more detailed, English-language analysis of Polish politics and judicial reform.
July 31, 2025 at 6:07 PM
Follow for more detailed, English-language analysis of Polish politics and judicial reform.
This is now an institutional test: can a government dismantle a captured judiciary when the presidency is in opposition hands? The answer will define Poland’s legal order for years.
July 31, 2025 at 6:07 PM
This is now an institutional test: can a government dismantle a captured judiciary when the presidency is in opposition hands? The answer will define Poland’s legal order for years.
Żurek says his goal is to “restore the rule of law” and remove judges appointed under a system already found to breach EU standards. He has made clear this is the start, not the end, of his purge.
July 31, 2025 at 6:07 PM
Żurek says his goal is to “restore the rule of law” and remove judges appointed under a system already found to breach EU standards. He has made clear this is the start, not the end, of his purge.
PiS leaders have condemned the suspensions, calling them unlawful. Former justice minister Zbigniew Ziobro accused Żurek of committing “crimes” and violating judicial independence - reversing the charge long levelled against PiS itself.
July 31, 2025 at 6:07 PM
PiS leaders have condemned the suspensions, calling them unlawful. Former justice minister Zbigniew Ziobro accused Żurek of committing “crimes” and violating judicial independence - reversing the charge long levelled against PiS itself.
The political stakes are high: controlling these posts means controlling the daily machinery of justice. Losing them means losing influence over which cases advance, stall, or disappear entirely.
July 31, 2025 at 6:07 PM
The political stakes are high: controlling these posts means controlling the daily machinery of justice. Losing them means losing influence over which cases advance, stall, or disappear entirely.
Under Poland’s constitution, President Andrzej Duda - aligned with PiS - has the power to appoint new court presidents. This means Żurek’s suspensions will almost certainly lead to a clash between the justice ministry and the presidency.
July 31, 2025 at 6:07 PM
Under Poland’s constitution, President Andrzej Duda - aligned with PiS - has the power to appoint new court presidents. This means Żurek’s suspensions will almost certainly lead to a clash between the justice ministry and the presidency.
The speed of the move is deliberate. Żurek is acting before the network can organise resistance. But replacing these court leaders is not straightforward.
July 31, 2025 at 6:07 PM
The speed of the move is deliberate. Żurek is acting before the network can organise resistance. But replacing these court leaders is not straightforward.
Żurek himself is a former judge who was targeted by PiS for defending judicial independence during its eight-year rule (2015–2023). His appointment last week signalled a more aggressive approach than that of his predecessor Adam Bodnar.
July 31, 2025 at 6:07 PM
Żurek himself is a former judge who was targeted by PiS for defending judicial independence during its eight-year rule (2015–2023). His appointment last week signalled a more aggressive approach than that of his predecessor Adam Bodnar.
By removing them in one sweep, Żurek has effectively cut out the leadership tier of the PiS-era judicial network. It’s a direct strike at the system’s command posts.
July 31, 2025 at 6:07 PM
By removing them in one sweep, Żurek has effectively cut out the leadership tier of the PiS-era judicial network. It’s a direct strike at the system’s command posts.
Court presidents and vice-presidents have significant administrative powers: they control which judges are assigned to which cases, oversee internal discipline, and manage promotions. In PiS hands, this became a tool for political pressure.
July 31, 2025 at 6:07 PM
Court presidents and vice-presidents have significant administrative powers: they control which judges are assigned to which cases, oversee internal discipline, and manage promotions. In PiS hands, this became a tool for political pressure.
Under PiS, the neoKRS was used to appoint politically loyal judges, many of them called “neo-sędziowie” (neo-judges) by critics. These judges often advanced PiS priorities and shielded allies from legal consequences.
July 31, 2025 at 6:07 PM
Under PiS, the neoKRS was used to appoint politically loyal judges, many of them called “neo-sędziowie” (neo-judges) by critics. These judges often advanced PiS priorities and shielded allies from legal consequences.
Most of those suspended are linked to the “neoKRS” - the National Council of the Judiciary (Krajowa Rada Sądownictwa) reconstituted by PiS in 2018 in a way the EU Court of Justice later ruled unlawful.
July 31, 2025 at 6:07 PM
Most of those suspended are linked to the “neoKRS” - the National Council of the Judiciary (Krajowa Rada Sądownictwa) reconstituted by PiS in 2018 in a way the EU Court of Justice later ruled unlawful.
In just two days, Żurek suspended 46 presidents and vice-presidents of Poland’s common courts. These are the senior judges who run local, regional, and provincial courts across the country.
July 31, 2025 at 6:07 PM
In just two days, Żurek suspended 46 presidents and vice-presidents of Poland’s common courts. These are the senior judges who run local, regional, and provincial courts across the country.
Austria's neutrality is not dead. But for the first time in a generation, it is no longer sacred. The silence that protected it for decades has broken, and it will not be easy to restore
July 29, 2025 at 2:18 PM
Austria's neutrality is not dead. But for the first time in a generation, it is no longer sacred. The silence that protected it for decades has broken, and it will not be easy to restore
Former chancellor Sebastian Kurz captures the contradiction: “The situation looks totally different… but I don’t see this decision [joining NATO] in Austria”
July 29, 2025 at 2:18 PM
Former chancellor Sebastian Kurz captures the contradiction: “The situation looks totally different… but I don’t see this decision [joining NATO] in Austria”
Public opinion is still firmly pro-neutrality. A 2024 Gallup poll found 74% in favour of keeping it. Only NEOS openly supports NATO entry. The ÖVP is split, SPÖ and Greens opposed, and the far-right FPÖ demands withdrawal from NATO partnership programmes
July 29, 2025 at 2:18 PM
Public opinion is still firmly pro-neutrality. A 2024 Gallup poll found 74% in favour of keeping it. Only NEOS openly supports NATO entry. The ÖVP is split, SPÖ and Greens opposed, and the far-right FPÖ demands withdrawal from NATO partnership programmes
Joining NATO remains unlikely. Neutrality is locked into Austria’s constitution. Repeal would require a two-thirds parliamentary majority and probably a referendum. Defence spending is 0.8% of GDP, far below NATO’s 2% benchmark
July 29, 2025 at 2:18 PM
Joining NATO remains unlikely. Neutrality is locked into Austria’s constitution. Repeal would require a two-thirds parliamentary majority and probably a referendum. Defence spending is 0.8% of GDP, far below NATO’s 2% benchmark
Austria is now ringed by NATO states: Germany, Czechia, Slovakia, Hungary, Slovenia, Italy. It sits 600 km from Ukraine, with two pro-Russian governments, Hungary and Slovakia, on its borders
July 29, 2025 at 2:18 PM
Austria is now ringed by NATO states: Germany, Czechia, Slovakia, Hungary, Slovenia, Italy. It sits 600 km from Ukraine, with two pro-Russian governments, Hungary and Slovakia, on its borders
Vienna is already aligned in practice. It joined NATO’s Partnership for Peace in 1995, contributes to NATO-led peacekeeping, and in 2023 signed Germany’s European Sky Shield Initiative. Even low-level cooperation triggers political anxiety
July 29, 2025 at 2:18 PM
Vienna is already aligned in practice. It joined NATO’s Partnership for Peace in 1995, contributes to NATO-led peacekeeping, and in 2023 signed Germany’s European Sky Shield Initiative. Even low-level cooperation triggers political anxiety
That logic is fraying. Russia’s war in Ukraine, Finland and Sweden joining NATO, and Austria’s quiet integration into EU defence projects have all exposed neutrality’s limits as a security guarantee
July 29, 2025 at 2:18 PM
That logic is fraying. Russia’s war in Ukraine, Finland and Sweden joining NATO, and Austria’s quiet integration into EU defence projects have all exposed neutrality’s limits as a security guarantee
Geography made it work. Austria was a Cold War buffer, NATO to the west, the Warsaw Pact to the east. The Alps added a natural barrier. Neutrality promised survival through strategic invisibility
July 29, 2025 at 2:18 PM
Geography made it work. Austria was a Cold War buffer, NATO to the west, the Warsaw Pact to the east. The Alps added a natural barrier. Neutrality promised survival through strategic invisibility
Neutrality was born with the 1955 Austrian State Treaty. The Allies withdrew, Austria pledged never to join a military alliance or host foreign bases. It became identity as much as policy, marked each year on 26 October as Austria’s National Day
July 29, 2025 at 2:18 PM
Neutrality was born with the 1955 Austrian State Treaty. The Allies withdrew, Austria pledged never to join a military alliance or host foreign bases. It became identity as much as policy, marked each year on 26 October as Austria’s National Day
“Neutrality alone will not protect us,” Beate Meinl-Reisinger told Die Welt on 26 July. She called for “a serious and open public debate” on Austria’s security future. She did not back NATO entry, but shattered a taboo that has held since 1955
July 29, 2025 at 2:18 PM
“Neutrality alone will not protect us,” Beate Meinl-Reisinger told Die Welt on 26 July. She called for “a serious and open public debate” on Austria’s security future. She did not back NATO entry, but shattered a taboo that has held since 1955