Poland's President Andrzej Duda accused the EU Wednesday of "lying" about his country's judicial reforms hours after the European Commission launched unprecedented disciplinary proceedings against Warsaw for the changes that Brussels says threaten the rule of law.

"Very many representatives of European institutions tell lies about Poland; They're lying. They lie when they say that there are changes in Poland that lead to violations of the rule of law, because we are improving democratic standards," Duda told Poland's Polsat commercial television.