Billion-dollar dispute: rapprochement between the EU Commission and Poland

The European Commission and Poland have approached each other over a dispute over billions in previously frozen funds for Warsaw. The Brussels Authority today approved Poland’s plan to receive nearly 60 billion euros in EU coronavirus aid. Of this, 34.5 billion euros will be granted in the form of loans and 25.3 billion euros in the form of grants, according to what the Commission announced.

This eases the situation in a long-term conflict. Poland submitted its recovery plan in May 2021. In order to receive funds from the EU Recovery and Resilience Facility, member states had to submit a plan that included investment and reform projects.

The “super landmarks” have not changed

The Commission said that three “key milestones” related to the reforms remained unchanged in the revised Polish plan. This means that any payment request under the Special Facility can only be disbursed after Poland satisfactorily meets the three milestones. It is about the independence of the Polish judiciary.

Aside from these regular payments, Poland can still get its first money soon. European Union countries now have about four weeks to welcome Poland’s plan. The Commission said this approval would allow Poland to receive 5.1 billion euros in pre-financing.