Dispute over billions: EU Commission and Poland approach US military plane overshoots the runway and crashes into the sea

The European Commission and Poland have reached out to each other in the dispute over billions in funds for Warsaw that have so far been blocked. The Brussels authority on Tuesday approved Poland’s plan for its almost 60 billion euros in EU corona aid. Of this, €34.5 billion will be provided in the form of loans and €25.3 billion in the form of grants, as announced by the Commission.

This simplifies the situation in a long-running dispute. Poland submitted its recovery plan in May 2021. To receive money from the EU’s so-called Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF), member states had to submit a plan with investment and reform projects.

Unchanged three “super milestones”

The Commission said three so-called “super milestones” related to reforms remained unchanged in the revised Polish plan. This means that no disbursement of a payment claim under the Special Facility will be possible until Poland has satisfactorily met the three milestones. This is about the independence of the Polish judiciary.

In addition to these regular payouts, Poland can still receive its first money soon. EU countries now have about four weeks to welcome the Polish plan. This approval will allow Poland to receive €5.1 billion in pre-financing, the Commission said.

The previous Polish ruling party PiS was at odds with Brussels over controversial judicial reforms. However, it lost its absolute majority in the October 15 elections and has no coalition partner. A pro-European three-party alliance from the previous opposition won the majority. It is led by former EU President Donald Tusk.

Tusk has announced several times that he will campaign for a rollback of judicial reforms and the release of EU funds. Nevertheless, the transfer of power will last until early December. President Andrzej Duda, who comes from the ranks of the previous ruling PiS party, initially tasked incumbent Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki with forming a government. Only when his plan fails is it Tusk’s turn. (sda/dpa)