After months of disputes with the Polish government, the European Commission has reached an agreement on a plan to distribute billions in corona aid. This was announced by EU Economic Commissioner Paolo Gentiloni on Wednesday. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will be in Warsaw on Thursday to present the details of the agreement. This was preceded by a bitter dispute over Polish judicial reforms.
Critics say the government changes curtail the independence of Polish judges. Von der Leyen had always demanded that decisive reforms be withdrawn. However, it will take some time before Poland actually receives money from the Corona fund of 800 billion euros. First, the country must achieve intermediate goals agreed in the development plan.
Plan submitted a year ago
Poland had already submitted its corona development plan in May 2021. To receive funds from the EU’s so-called Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF), Member States must submit a plan of investment and reform projects, which must be assessed by the Commission within two months. However, the approval of the Polish plan has been postponed. According to the European Commission, Poland can receive 23.9 billion euros in grants and another 11.5 billion euros in loans. Now the Council of 27 EU countries must approve the Polish plan.
Warsaw gave in to the dispute
The dispute over Polish judicial reform between Brussels and Warsaw has so far stood in the way of payment and has been bitter at times. In October, there was a personal confrontation between von der Leyen and Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki in the European Parliament in Strasbourg. Warsaw finally gave in and the Polish parliament decided on Thursday to abolish the controversial disciplinary chamber at the Supreme Court.
Source: Krone
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