BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union’s executive on Wednesday said it hoped for a deal “very soon” in a fundamental dispute with Poland over judicial independence and sources said mid-May could be a key date. REUTERS/Francois Lenoir

After two years of standoff between the bloc’s largest ex-communist member and the more liberal founding states, Poland’s ruling nationalists brought in a new prime minister at the turn of the year to seek a thaw with Brussels. But a change of government at the start of the year “led to a change of atmosphere in our relationship and it has allowed us to — not that we immediately agree — but it allowed us to have a dialogue, an open and frank dialogue.”

Since Poland’s ruling Law and Justice party won elections in 2015 it has passed laws that give it much greater control over the judicial system. Warsaw also stands to lose because some EU members, taken aback by the PiS moves, have pushed to make access to future EU funding conditional on respecting democratic values such as the rule of law and judicial independence. Timmermans called for ending the two-year-long standoff "as quickly as possible" when he met with Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, Foreign Minister Jacek Jacek Czaputowicz and others in Warsaw on Monday. Speaking to journalists in Brussels on Wednesday, Timmermans praised the “very, very intensive talks” he had in Warsaw and commended Morawiecki for engaging in “genuine dialogue”. It could be stripped of its voting rights in the bloc under the Article 7 procedure of the EU treaty -- covering systemic threats to the rule of law -- which had never been previously used against an EU state. A Polish deputy foreign minister said on Saturday the Commission's decision was "unjustified" because the organisation of the legal systems in EU members was up to member states and not EU institutions. Sources said the decisive moment comes on May 14, when the bloc’s European affairs ministers are due to decide whether concessions offered by PiS go far enough to take off the table a threat to punish Warsaw through a procedure that could go as far as suspending its vote in the bloc. The Commission is concerned about discretionary power given to Poland's minister of justice to prolong the mandates of judges who reach retirement age, as well as to dismiss and appoint court presidents. Under amendments now proposed by PiS, the minister would have to consult other judges at a court before deciding to sack its head. He also said the new regulation on the retirement of judges was aimed at bringing it into line with a reduction in the retirement age that enters into force in October. PiS had initially set it at 65 years for men and 60 for women.
The European Union says it is optimistic a two-year dispute with Poland's ruling Law and Justice over proposed judicial reforms will be resolved by mid May. Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki has been engaged in talks on the issue with the European Commission.