Kaczynski says Poland won't back down in standoff with EU

WARSAW, Poland – The leader of Poland's ruling party says his country will not give in to the European Union in an ongoing conflict over an overhaul of the nation's judicial system.

The European Commission last month denounced Polish laws giving the ruling party greater power over the judiciary, saying they violate fundamental European values. It is threatening a step that could lead to sanctions against Poland.

But Law and Justice leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski said in an interview Friday that the country won't back down.

Kaczynski was quoted by Gazeta Polska as saying "the program of deep changes of our country will not be stopped, just the opposite."

He added that it is impossible to get along with "forces" in the EU that he claimed have exploited Poland for years.