The decision comes two days after Poland’s justice minister condemned the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) as “corrupt” after judges sided with the Commission in a separate row over judicial reforms and the rule of law.

The EU’s top court ruled on Monday — in a judgment not yet available in English — that controversial judicial reforms enacted by the Polish government in December 2019 infringed on various provisions of EU law.

Zbigniew Ziobro, Poland’s justice minister and leader of the right-wing Sovereign Poland party, said the verdict “was not written by judges but politicians because it constitutes a clear violation of European treaties”.

He added: “The European Union’s top court is corrupt.”

Mr Ziobro, whose Sovereign Poland party is a junior coalition partner to the ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party, is seen as somewhat of a maverick, who earlier this year was at the centre of a small scandal after it emerged he regularly carries a handgun.

However, a poll published this week found that nearly two-thirds (64 per cent) of pro-government voters want him to stay in the cabinet, Parlamentarny.pl reports.

The Commission today said it would challenge the so-called Russian influence law due to concerns that it could undermine the general election set to take place in Poland later this year.

The proposed Russian influence committee will be empowered to investigate and sanction individuals and organisations which acted to “the detriment of the interests of the Republic of Poland” between 2007 and 2022.

Concerns have mounted that the law will be used as a political weapon against Donald Tusk, the Polish opposition leader who served as Poland’s prime minister from 2007 to 2014.

Valdis Dombrovskis, the Commission’s executive vice-president for An Economy that Works for People, said commissioners had “agreed to start an infringement procedure by sending a letter of formal notice in relation to the new law on the state committee for examination of Russian influence”.