Poland has not yet reached the end of the road, von der Leyen said at a press conference in Warsaw on Thursday. The disbursements of the funds can only begin once the reform of the judicial system has been completed.
Funds blocked so far
The aid is about 23.9 billion euros in grants and another 11.5 billion euros in low-interest loans. So far, Brussels had blocked the funds because of the dispute over the judicial system. However, last week the Polish parliament voted to abolish the controversial disciplinary body for judges. This is to be replaced by a new body.
Disciplinary Body as a danger
The Commission has assessed the Disciplinary Chamber as a threat to the independence of the judges. In October, the European Court of Justice ordered Poland to pay a fine of one million euros a day because the government in Warsaw initially refused to dissolve the chamber.