Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

How Poland blew its chance to get billions in EU recovery cash

How Poland blew its chance to get billions in EU recovery cash

The EU's Justice Commissioner received "brutal" treatment last month in Warsaw, a member of his delegation said, during talks aimed at defusing a dispute over the independence of Poland's judiciary that is blocking billions of euros in economic aid.

In a carefully staged media appearance, Polish Justice Minister Zbigniew Ziobro presented Didier Reynders with pictures of a Warsaw ruined in World War Two, suggesting that Europe has a long history of treating Poland unfairly.

Poland's combative stance at the meeting dashed hopes for an entente that might help unlock 36 billion euros in post-pandemic recovery stimulus to Warsaw, sources told Reuters.

"After the visit, the team was a bit down. It's a difficult situation," the delegation member told Reuters. "It's a bit depressing."

A source close to Ziobro said Reynders was "evidently shocked" at Warsaw's position.

"Positions have not come closer," said the person, adding that any hope in Brussels that Poland would give way at the meeting proved wrong.

The bloc accuses Poland's ruling Law and Justice party (PiS) of political meddling in the judicial system in violation of EU law and says it must scrap a disciplinary system for judges that the European Court of Justice (ECJ) has already struck down.

Warsaw says its shake-up of the judiciary is needed to increase efficiency and rid it of communist-era vestiges.

That row is part of a much wider clash over democratic standards that also includes women's rights and media freedoms.

Despite these disputes, PiS retains solid backing in Poland where it has boosted welfare spending since coming to power in 2015. Its nationalist, eurosceptic rhetoric goes down well with working and lower middle class Poles outside the big cities.

It remains unclear when and how Warsaw might change its Disciplinary Chamber at Poland's Supreme Court in a way that would satisfy the executive European Commission in Brussels and allow for disbursement of the COVID recovery funds.

MONEY


"The strongest argument the EU has (in the disputes) is the massive pile of money (Commission President Ursula) von der Leyen is sitting on and won't release until this moves," said the delegation member.

Asked for comment on the situation, the Polish government's information office did not address the disciplinary chamber issue but said Warsaw's talks with the Commission were bringing closer a compromise that would allow the disbursement of money.

Reynders said after his Warsaw visit that he had received no answer to his queries about how Poland planned to comply with the ECJ ruling against the disciplinary chamber. The Commission said talks with Warsaw were continuing.

Since Reynders' visit, two other events have further eroded prospects for a swift resolution of the standoff.

Firstly, Germany, Europe's most powerful country, has a new ruling coalition that has signalled a harder line over democratic backsliding in the EU than former centre-right chancellor Angela Merkel.

A first test of that new line will come on Sunday when Merkel's Social Democrat successor, Olaf Scholz, visits Warsaw.

Secondly, a legal opinion issued by an advocate-general at the ECJ has all but scuppered efforts by Poland and Hungary to block a new tool aimed at cutting cash for states that violate the EU's democratic rules.

As well as the COVID recovery funds, Poland also risks losing money earmarked for it under the EU's 2021-27 shared 1.1 trillion euro budget.

For now, a senior member of the EU's executive said last week that Poland would not receive the grants and cheap loans now rolling into most other EU countries to help them recover from the pandemic, unless it changed tack.

"It is unlikely that we can finalise this work (on approving Poland's national recovery plan and disbursing the funds) this year," EU Commission Vice President Valdis Dombrovskis said.

AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Wave of Complaints Against Apple Over iPhone 17 Pro’s Scratch Sensitivity
Munich Airport Reopens After Second Drone Shutdown
Pro Europe and Anti-War Babiš Poised to Return to Power After Czech Parliamentary Vote
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Sentenced to Fifty Months in Prison Following Prostitution Conviction
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Russian Research Vessel 'Yantar' Tracked Mapping Europe’s Subsea Cables, Raising Security Alarms
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Tokyo’s Jimbōchō Named World’s Coolest Neighbourhood for 2025
European Officials Fear Trump May Shift Blame for Ukraine War onto EU
The Personality Rights Challenge in India’s AI Era
Italy Considers Freezing Retirement Age at 67 to Avert Scheduled Hike
Italian City to Impose Tax on Visiting Dogs Starting in 2026
Study Finds No Safe Level of Alcohol for Dementia Risk
Trump Says Ukraine Can Fully Restore Borders with NATO Backing
Europe Signals Stronger Support for Taiwan at Major Taipei Defence Show
Germany Weighs Excluding France from Key European Fighter Jet Programme
Cyberattack Disrupts Check-in and Boarding Systems at Major European Airports
Björn Borg Breaks Silence: Memoir Reveals Addiction, Shame and Cancer Battle
When Extremism Hijacks Idealism: How the Baader-Meinhof Gang Emerged and Fell
JWST Data Brings TRAPPIST-1e Closer to Earth-Like Habitability
Trump Orders $100,000 Fee on H-1B Visas and Launches ‘Gold Card’ Immigration Pathway
France’s Looming Budget Crisis and Political Fracture Raise Fears of Becoming Europe’s “Sick Man”
Three Russian MiG-31 Jets Breach Estonian Airspace in ‘Unprecedentedly Brazen’ NATO Incident
European manufacturers against ban on polluting cars: "The industry may collapse"
Turkish car manufacturer Togg Enters German Market with 5-Star Electric Sedan and SUV to Challenge European EV Brands
Christian Brueckner Released from German Prison after Serving Unrelated Sentence
World’s Longest Direct Flight China Eastern to Launch 29-Hour Shanghai–Buenos Aires Direct Flight via Auckland in December
New OpenAI Study Finds Majority of ChatGPT Use Is Personal, Not Professional
The conservative right spreads westward: a huge achievement for 'Alternative for Germany' in local elections
Pope Leo Warns of Societal Crisis Over Mega-CEO Pay, Citing Tesla’s Proposed Trillion-Dollar Package
Poland Green-Lights NATO Deployment in Response to Major Russian Drone Incursion
U.S. and China Agree on Framework to Shift TikTok to American Ownership
Le Pen Tightens the Pressure on Macron as France Edges Toward Political Breakdown
Czech Republic signs €1.34 billion contract for Leopard 2A8 main battle tanks with delivery from 2028
Penske Media Sues Google Over “AI Overviews,” Claiming It Uses Journalism Without Consent and Destroys Traffic
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
One in Three Europeans Now Uses TikTok, According to the Chinese Tech Giant
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
NATO Deploys ‘Eastern Sentry’ After Russian Drones Violate Polish Airspace
The New Life of Novak Djokovic
German police raid AfD lawmaker’s offices in inquiry over Chinese payments
Volkswagen launches aggressive strategy to fend off Chinese challenge in Europe’s EV market
France Erupts in Mass ‘Block Everything’ Protests on New PM’s First Day
Poland Shoots Down Russian Drones in Airspace Violation During Ukraine Attack
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Macron Appoints Sébastien Lecornu as Prime Minister Amid Budget Crisis and Political Turmoil
Vatican hosts first Catholic LGBTQ pilgrimage
Apple Unveils iPhone 17 Series, iPhone Air, Apple Watch 11 and More at 'Awe Dropping' Event
×