Brussels and Warsaw have been locked in a tense standoff over the independence of Polish courts

The European Union's top court is fining Poland €1 million ($1.16 million) per day until it suspends a controversial disciplinary chamber for its Supreme Court. The European Court of Justice (ECJ) ordered the Polish government to do so in July but it hasn't complied with the ruling so far. 

Poland's Deputy Justice Minister Sebastian Kaleta slammed the decision in a tweet on Wednesday, accusing the ECJ of ignoring the Polish constitution and calling the demand "usurpation and blackmail."

The EU is expected to knock the daily fines off its regular budget payments to Poland. Warsaw receives billions of Euros every year as a member of the EU. 

"Serious and irreparable harm"

The disciplinary chamber was established three years ago and can fire judges and prosecutors. The Law and Justice Party (PiS), which leads the governing coalition in Poland, insists it's part of reforming the country's judicial system. 

The EU says these reforms are undermining the independence of the judiciary in Poland. 

In Wednesday's ruling, the ECJ said the disciplinary chamber must be suspended "to avoid serious and irreparable harm to the legal order of the European Union and to the values on which that Union is founded." 

Calls for dialogue 

After last week's EU summit in Brussels, leaders such as outgoing German Chancellor Angela Merkel called for dialogue with Poland's government to resolve the simmering dispute. 

However, this ruling from the ECJ could escalate it once again after a tense few weeks. 

Earlier this month, Poland's Constitutional Tribunal ruled that some EU treaties are not compatible with the country's constitution. That challenged a cornerstone of the European bloc's legal framework: that EU law takes precedence over national law in member states.