Poland will submit the first request for the release of its frozen European funds by November, says Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki. However, he warned that, given the “unfriendly” attitude of the EU, there needs to be “realism and scepticism” about when the money will actually arrive.
After unveiling the draft budget for 2023 yesterday, Morawiecki was asked about the EU’s post-pandemic recovery fund. Poland’s €36 billion share has so far been frozen due to concerns over the rule of law. But the government had hoped that a recent agreement with the European Commission would see the first payments arrive by next year.
The prime minister revealed that an application for funds has not yet been made, and said that it would still require another two months to do so. “I assume the request will be submitted by the end of October or the start of November.”
Poland's PM has criticised the "absurd paradox" of the EU punishing Russia for its aggression against Ukraine and Poland, which has been helping Ukraine.
He also said that Germany's friendly “Ostpolitik” towards Russia has now become “lostpolitik” https://t.co/TOcIEze7Py
— Notes from Poland 🇵🇱 (@notesfrompoland) August 29, 2022
He also expressed hope that “the first tranches of EU money will start flowing into Poland at the turn of the year”, but cautioned that, “given the current tensions between Brussels and us, we should wait to see if it actually happens”, reports financial news service Money.pl.
The “unfriendly steps towards us” by the European Commission “dictate sobriety, realism and scepticism” regarding the release of funds, added Morawiecki. However, “we will get the money sooner or later”, he assured.
The prime minister also confirmed that, even if the EU money does not arrive by next year, financing for the relevant projects in Poland will be carried out using Polish state funds. “The Polish state budget provides all the necessary contributions to infrastructure projects.”
Earlier this week, during a visit to meet President Emmanuel Macron in Paris, Morawiecki criticised the EU for imposing financial punishments on both Russia for its aggression against Ukraine and on Poland, which has been helping Ukraine.
His government has argued that, although it has sought to comply with the rule-of-law “milestones” agreed with the European Commission to unlock funds, Brussels is refusing to honour its side of the deal.
However, Polish opposition figures, some EU leaders, and many experts have argued that the Polish government has made insufficient efforts to address rule-of-law concerns. Last week, four leading European judges’ organisations applied to the European Court of Justice for Poland’s funds to remain frozen.
Main image credit: Krystian Maj/KPRM (under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)
Daniel Tilles is editor-in-chief of Notes from Poland. He has written on Polish affairs for a wide range of publications, including Foreign Policy, POLITICO Europe, EUobserver and Dziennik Gazeta Prawna.
