This was preceded by a months-long dispute over Polish judicial reforms.
After months of disputes with the Polish government, the EU Commission has agreed on a plan for the payment of billions in corona aid. This was announced by EU Economic Commissioner Paolo Gentiloni on Wednesday. EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will be in Warsaw this Thursday and present details of the agreement. This was preceded by a bitter dispute over Polish judicial reforms.
According to critics, it curtails the independence of Polish judges. Von der Leyen had always demanded that decisive reforms be withdrawn. However, it will be a while before Poland actually receives money from the €800 billion Corona fund. First, the country must achieve intermediate goals agreed in the development plan.
Construction plan already submitted in May 2021
Poland had already submitted its corona development plan in May 2021. In order to receive money from the EU’s so-called Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF), member states must submit a plan with investment and reform projects, which should actually be assessed by the Commission within two months. However, approval of the Polish plan has been postponed. According to the EU Commission, Poland can receive 23.9 billion euros in grants and an additional 11.5 billion euros in loans. Now the Council of 27 EU countries has to approve the Polish plan.
However, the dispute over the Polish judicial reform between Brussels and Warsaw stood in the way and was sometimes bitter. In October there was a personal confrontation between von der Leyen and the Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki in the Strasbourg European Parliament. Warsaw finally gave in, and the Polish parliament decided on Thursday to abolish the controversial disciplinary chamber at the Supreme Court.