Independence of the judiciary: the bad European students

Audio 7:30 p.m.

Demonstration against the “muzzle law” on justice established in Poland, in January 2020 in Warsaw. © AFP / Janek Skarzynski

By: Frédérique Lebel

Almost 300 years after the Age of Enlightenment and Montesquieu's theory on the separation of powers, we return to the independence of the judiciary. Apparently, a case which in Europe, in 2020, is still not settled.

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In Poland precisely, judges are now under the eye of power. A new law now makes it possible to sanction them, or even to suspend them if they criticize the government. A law qualified as a muzzle and which worries Europe. The Court of Justice of the European Union has also given a deadline today for Poland to give explanations before possible sanctions. Report to Polish magistrates, worried about their independence, signed Thomas Giraudeau.

And in Slovakia , this is an extraordinary trial that is taking place at the moment with the appearance of several suspects in the case of the murder, in February 2018, of the journalist Jan Kuciak and his companion. The young investigator had exposed the mafia networks infiltrated at the highest peak in the state. He paid for it with his life. The alleged sponsor of this double assassination is a businessman with a sulfurous reputation. His links to corrupt judges are also highlighted during this trial. The explanations of Alexis Rosenzweig.

And Serbia, which is still a candidate to join the European Union, will have to make a lot of progress, especially in the reform of its judicial system. This is, moreover, one of the most problematic points in Belgrade's accession negotiations. The magistrates themselves do not trust an institution still under orders ... Simon Rico .

French prisons : poor conditions of detention
France condemned by the European Court of Human Rights for the poor conditions of detention in its prisons. It was January 30, 2020. Daniel Vigneron, our colleague on the Myeurop.info site , comes to the rescue to explain such an aberration to us.

the MyEurop logo. MyEurop

And we will end this program with a funny portrait. That of a charcoal burner in Berlin. After going out of nuclear power, Germany recently set itself the goal of definitively disconnecting its 148 or so coal-fired power plants by 2038. A delay which may seem far too long in the light of climate change, but which is explained by a figure: almost 40% of the electricity is produced by coal. So in Berlin, there are still a dozen companies that deliver coal to individuals. The old apartments are heated with coal. From Berlin, Julien Mechaussie.

(February 13, 2020 replay)

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  • Germany
  • France
  • Justice
  • Poland
  • Serbia
  • Slovakia
  • European Union

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