Exclusive-Poland asks EU to hold off fines for disciplining judges - letter

People carry flags, as they take part in a rally in support of Poland's membership in the European Union after the country's Constitutional Tribunal ruled on the primacy of the constitution over EU law, undermining a key tenet of European integration, in Warsaw, Poland, October 10, 2021. REUTERS/Kacper Pempel

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Poland asked the European Union's executive to hold off fines for undermining judicial independence, saying it is working to dismantle its contentious disciplinary chamber for judges, according to a Jan. 10 letter seen by Reuters.

Warsaw currently owes 70 million euros for failing to halt immediately all work by the chamber pending a final verdict by the EU's top court on a scheme widely criticised for enabling the government to sideline judges who question its policies.