EU's Tusk says Polish government should back down on court reform

European Council President Donald Tusk attends a news conference after the meeting with Cyprus' President Nicos Anastasiades at the Presidential Palace in Nicosia, Cyprus March 15, 2016. REUTERS/Petros Karadjias/Pool

WARSAW (Reuters) - Poland's ruling conservatives should take a step back in their attempted reform of the country's top court, European Council President Donald Tusk said on Saturday as the country suffers its worst constitutional crisis in decades.

Tusk's comments marked a rare intervention in Poland's domestic politics. He resigned as Polish prime minister in 2014 to take up the job in Brussels and has largely shied away from local affairs since then.