Polish president seeks more power over courts in judiciary reform

Polish officials cited a "difficult and dangerous" situation on the border with Belarus. Tension has grown in recent weeks over groups of migrants attempting to cross into the EU.

The standoff over migrants entering the EU between Minsk and Warsaw has hit local Polish businesses near the border, many reliant on tourism. With the winter coming and no end in sight to the crisis, DW visited the area.

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki tells MEPs in the European Parliament that Poland rejects EU "blackmail" on legal matters, saying the Constitution remains "the supreme law" for his country.

The two sides seem worlds apart after the first day of discussions, which were intended to be about rising energy prices, but ended up being overshadowed by an increasingly bitter feud over the rule of law.

The EU has once again clashed with Poland over questions regarding the rule of law. The European Court of Justice has declared powers given to the justice minister to appoint judges to cases are against EU law.

Many of the migrants currently languishing at the Poland-Belarus border come from Iraq. Most of them hail from the autonomous region of Iraqi Kurdistan in the north of the country. This area is often described as a haven of peace, but the reality is somewhat darker. Our correspondent Lucile Wassermann went to meet the Iraqis ready to risk everything to flee their region.

Government critics said the proposed media law was aimed at silencing dissent. President Andrzej Duda said it would have dealt a blow to Poland's reputation as a place to do business.

This week, we head to the Polish city of Poznan, where Breton culture is thriving. That's thanks to a strong bond created when people in the French region of Brittany set up humanitarian convoys to Poland during the dying days of Communism. Friendships and cultural exchanges continue to this day. In central Poznan, Dom Bretanii or the "House of Brittany" allows Polish people to discover and appreciate Breton dance, music and Celtic legends. FRANCE 24's Luke Brown and Isabelle Romero report.

In an interview with DW, the president of Kosovo, Vjosa Osmani, confirms her commitment to EU integration and NATO. She also emphasizes the country's full support of the Kosovo Specialist Chambers war crimes court.

Poland plans to build a wall on its border with Belarus to prevent undocumented migrants from crossing into its territory illegally. But environmental campaigners warn a wall could have a dire impact on local wildlife. DW’s Jack Parrock reports.

The prime ministers of Poland and the Czech Republic have reached an agreement to end a bitter battle over the Turow coal mine.

On February 16, the European Union's top court rejected a legal challenge by Poland and Hungary to a conditionality mechanism that would link EU funds for member states to respect for the rule of law. The Polish government stands by its controversial judicial reforms, despite criticism from local judges. On the ground in Poland, many development projects that were counting on EU funding have already been halted. One example is in the town of Wieliczka, as our correspondent Gulliver Cragg reports.