The recovery and resilience plan needs to be renegotiated if Poland is to receive the money that has until now been frozen due to the rule of law concerns, Polish Development Funds and Regional Policy Minister Katarzyna Pełczyńska-Nałęcz told the press.
Poland has not received a single tranche of the EU’s Next Generation Fund because the EU Commission was concerned about the rule of law under the previous nationalist Law and Justice (PiS, ECR) government. The current pro-EU cabinet of Prime Minister Donald Tusk is trying to meet the milestones set by the EU Commission so that payments can finally start.
According to Polish Development Funds and Regional Policy Minister Katarzyna Pełczyńska-Nałęcz, the need for the Polish Recovery and Resilience Plan (KPO) stems from the delay in its implementation.
“We received the project (of the KPO) with a gigantic delay. It ends in 2026 and has a two-year delay,” Pełczyńska-Nałęcz said.
The government needs to analyse the plan to see what can be implemented in this shortened time and to what extent. “Some things may need to be reduced or modified,” Pełczyńska-Nałęcz said.
After revising the KPO plan, the Polish government intends to start talks with the Commission before the end of the month, she said, adding that the revised plan would need to be approved by Tusk.
Under the KPO, Poland is eligible for almost €60 billion, of which €25 billion in grants and €35 billion in loans.
The PiS government had a harsh relationship with the Commission because of the controversial reforms, including of the judiciary and the media, that the EU executive found undermining the rule of law in the country.
Having come to power last December, Tusk’s government pledged to restore the democratic order and judicial independence in Poland by revoking most of PiS’ reforms.
During a visit to Brussels before becoming prime minister, Tusk promised to make every effort to get the money for Poland’s bailout up and running as quickly as possible
(Aleksandra Krzysztoszek | Euractiv.pl)
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Source: euractiv.com
