WARSAW (Reuters) - The head of Poland's Supreme Court on Thursday partially froze a disciplinary chamber for judges at the heart of a deepening dispute with the European Union over judicial independence that could see Warsaw face fines or even an eventual loss of funding.
Poland faces an Aug. 16 deadline to disband the disciplinary chamber, which the EU says does not guarantee the judiciary's independence and undercuts the bloc's laws, leaving a divided ruling coalition searching for a way out that will allow it to avoid financial penalties while not being seen to back down.