Poland, Brussels struggle to reach agreement on recovery fund timeline
Poland is expected to face further delays in receiving the first tranche of €6 million allocated under the Recovery and Resilience Plan as the government and the European Commission struggle with unresolved issues, Polish media reported.
Poland had its recovery funds frozen because the EU Commission was concerned about the rule of law in the country under the previous nationalist Law and Justice (PiS, ECR) government. The PiS cabinet had a troubled relationship with the EU executive over its controversial judicial reforms, which the Commission said seriously undermined the independence of the judiciary in the country.
“There is still no breakthrough on Poland fulfilling the milestones necessary for the recovery money to be launched,” Brussels sources told RMF FM.
For the Commission to release the money, Poland had to meet certain milestones, including judicial reforms, to ensure that the EU’s budgetary interests would not be jeopardised.
When the new coalition led by Prime Minister Donald Tusk (EPP/S&D/Renew/Left) replaced the PiS after last December’s general elections, it promised to restore democratic order in Poland and convince the Commission to start the long-awaited payments that would support the Polish economy.
Tusk applied for the first tranche of payments immediately after taking office on 15 December. This means that the Commission had two months plus two weeks to deliver its assessment of the application.
The Commission did not clarify how far talks with Warsaw on the issue had progressed, saying only that technical negotiations were “ongoing”.
“There is still no concrete answer about the way of delivering on the milestones. As for today, no agreement has been reached between Brussels and Warsaw on what Poland should do to fulfil the milestones,” RMF FM reported.
Justice Minister Adam Bodnar had earlier announced in Brussels that he would submit new draft laws to parliament to ensure the independent appointment of judges.
According to unofficial reports, the European Commission wants to support the Polish government and soften the criteria but does not want to be accused of bias.
The PiS, currently the largest opposition party, argues that the Commission is only waiting for a more pro-European government in Poland before making payments.
“Now it turns out that no milestones were needed, but the one concerning Tusk’s coming to power,” PiS MP Radosław Fogiel commented to Euractiv last month on the progress of the talks between Poland and the Commission.
Failure to reach an agreement by the end of February could mean a further delay in the disbursement, although the government has promised that Poland will receive the first tranche in March or April at the latest.
Under Poland’s Recovery and Resilience Plan, the country is entitled to €59.8 billion of RRF funds, including €25.3 billion in grants and €34.5 billion in soft loans.
(Aleksandra Krzysztoszek | Euractiv.pl)
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