According to Ursula von der Leyen, the currently recovering Polish rule of law is impressive. On the other hand, the deputy minister of justice of the previous government stated that since the change of government, no changes have taken place in the Polish legal system, the politicians in Brussels did not have the rule of law in mind when making decisions, but that the "obedient and subordinate" Donald Tusk would come to power.
At a joint press conference with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk and Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, announced on Friday in Warsaw that two decisions will be made next week on the currently blocked EU funds for Poland. As a result, an amount of up to 137 billion euros will be released from the recovery and cohesion fund.
Speaking about agriculture, von der Leyen recalled: within the framework of the common agricultural policy, 22 billion euros are currently planned to support the sector in Poland.
The first part of the recovery funds, worth 1.4 billion euros, is intended directly for Polish farmers
he announced.
The President of the European Commission praised the Tusk government's efforts aimed at "restoring the rule of law", including the action plan concerning the justice system, which was also presented by Justice Minister Adam Bodnar in Brussels the other day.
Donald Tusk pointed out that since he assumed the post of Prime Minister, the aim of his cooperation with the President of the European Commission was, among other things, "the restoration of the rule of law and democratic standards in Poland".
The funds to be disbursed will also be used by the Warsaw government to "solve everything that causes tension and anxiety today" -
Tusk referred to the farmers' demonstrations in Poland. The first 1.5 billion euros mentioned by the President of the EC will be paid directly to small and medium-sized agricultural producers, the Prime Minister promised.
Von der Leyen - referring to the fact that the farmers are blocking the Polish-Ukrainian border crossings - said: the European Commission is aware of the concerns related to Ukrainian grain imports, for this reason they are amending, for example, the agreement between the EU and Ukraine on road transport. He also pointed out that exports from Ukraine via the Black Sea have increased, which relieves the burden on land borders.
In the case of Poland, the EU recovery plan allows a total of EUR 25.3 billion in non-refundable aid and a EUR 34.5 billion loan. Poland receives EUR 76 billion from the cohesion funds of the 2021-2027 budget framework.
Brussels linked the withdrawal of the funds to, among other things, the independence of the judiciary in Poland.
According to EU bodies, the previous Polish government did not meet all payment conditions.
Reacting to the EC President's announcement, Sebastian Kaleta, Deputy Minister of Justice of the previous government led by the Law and Justice (PiS) party, pointed out on the X-interface:
since the change of government, no changes have taken place in the Polish legal system.
According to former Deputy Prime Minister Mariusz Blaszczak, the politicians in Brussels did not have the rule of law in mind during decision-making, but that the "obedient and subordinate" Donald Tusk would come to power.
Poland "will have to pay a high price" for the release of EU funds, namely that Tusk fulfills the expectations of EU decision-makers regarding the migration pact, Poland's accession to the eurozone, amendments to the EU's basic treaties and "eco-terror".
Blaszczak wrote on X.
Former Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Culture Piotr Glinski stated at a press conference that Poland was blackmailed with EU funds during the PiS government. Ursula von der Leyen "didn't hide the fact that in the event of a change of government in Poland, she would intervene in the matter of the disbursement of recovery funds," explained Glinski. "This is political blackmail, a worldwide scandal," said the opposition politician.
MTI
Photo: MTI/EPA/Olivier Hoslet
