Morawiecki was meeting European Commission head Jean-Claude Juncker in the latest high-level contact between Warsaw and Brussels aimed at resolving their row over concerns around democratic standards in the largest ex-Communist EU state.
Juncker gave Morawiecki a brief embrace before the Pole presented him with Warsaw’s “white paper” on the new laws. Morawiecki later told journalists he expected the Commission to analyze the text thoroughly, which could take weeks.
The reforms by his ruling nationalists have been criticized by civil society campaigners, international democracy watchdogs, the EU and opposition parties in Poland for subjecting the courts to more government control.
“These talks were very constructive and very promising,” Morawiecki said after meeting Juncker.
“We will certainly continue them and I hope that, sooner or later, our views will converge even more, will converge enough to reach a full agreement on the judicial reform we proposed to our citizens.”
The Polish document says the reforms are needed to improve efficiency and remove judges “entangled in dishonourable service” in Poland’s pre-1989 communist regime.
But it also warns more liberal EU states in Western Europe not to push Warsaw too much at the risk of “strengthening anti-European sentiment” in Poland.
“It can lead to the growth of populist political forces, seeking to dismantle or weaken … the European Union,” the document says. A Commission spokesman later said the bloc had received it and dialogue would continue.
Brussels last year took steps to penalize Warsaw and force it to change tack on media and court reforms imposed since the Law and Justice party took power in 2015.
Hungary, a Eurosceptic Polish ally, has vowed to block the most serious possible sanction against Warsaw – stripping it of its vote on EU affairs.
With Poland being at loggerheads with the EU over migration and environment policies as well, Morawiecki has won time by reopening dialogue with the EU on the rule of law.
Poland’s new willingness to talk comes as the EU is embarking on difficult negotiations over its next long-term budget. Some net payers want to cut the bloc’s handouts to countries deemed to not be respecting its fundamental values.
Poland is currently the primary beneficiary of EU money and risks losing billions of euros if the dispute is not settled.
The EU’s handling of eurosceptic and populist governments, including in member states like Poland and Hungary, has emerged as a key challenge for the bloc after Brexit.