2024-02-29 14:25:33
The European Commission today officially approved the release of 137 billion euros from the European Union funds suspended for Poland due to concerns related to the rule of law, DPA reported.
The money comes from two sources: €76.5 billion from the development budget overseen by the European Commission and almost €60 billion from the post-COVID recovery fund. The latter still needs to be approved by EU member states.
The Commission ended funding for Poland in 2022 on the grounds that judicial reforms introduced by the then government threatened the independence of the judiciary. Poland’s new government, led by former European Council President Donald Tusk, has reversed those changes in a bid to meet EU standards and restore the country’s access to the EU budget.
The total amount of 137 billion euros includes both overdue payments that have been blocked and payments due in the next few years that would also have been blocked if the European Commission had not decided to restore Poland’s funding, BTA reported.
Last Friday, EC President Ursula von der Leyen announced at a briefing that the decision had been made, DPA recalls.