London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, May 31, 2025

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.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Satirical Sketch Sparks Political Spouse Feud in South Korea
Indonesia Quarry Collapse Leaves Multiple Dead and Missing
South Korean Election Video Pulled Amid Misogyny Outcry
Asian Economies Shift Away from US Dollar Amid Trade Tensions
Netflix Investigates Allegations of On-Set Mistreatment in K-Drama Production
US Defence Chief Reaffirms Strong Ties with Singapore Amid Regional Tensions
Vietnam Faces Strategic Dilemma Over China's Mekong River Projects
Malaysia's First AI Preacher Sparks Debate on Islamic Principles
White House Press Secretary Criticizes Harvard Funding, Advocates for Vocational Training
France to Implement Nationwide Smoking Ban in Outdoor Spaces Frequented by Children
Meta and Anduril Collaborate on AI-Driven Military Augmented Reality Systems
Russia's Fossil Fuel Revenues Approach €900 Billion Since Ukraine Invasion
U.S. Justice Department Reduces American Bar Association's Role in Judicial Nominations
U.S. Department of Energy Unveils 'Doudna' Supercomputer to Advance AI Research
U.S. SEC Dismisses Lawsuit Against Binance Amid Regulatory Shift
Alcohol Industry Faces Increased Scrutiny Amid Health Concerns
Italy Faces Population Decline Amid Youth Emigration
U.S. Goods Imports Plunge Nearly 20% Amid Tariff Disruptions
OpenAI Faces Competition from Cheaper AI Rivals
Foreign Tax Provision in U.S. Budget Bill Alarms Investors
Trump Accuses China of Violating Trade Agreement
Gerry Adams Wins Libel Case Against BBC
Russia Accuses Serbia of Supplying Arms to Ukraine
EU Central Bank Pushes to Replace US Dollar with Euro as World’s Main Currency
Chinese Woman Dies After Being Forced to Visit Bank Despite Critical Illness
President Trump Grants Full Pardons to Reality TV Stars Todd and Julie Chrisley
Texas Enacts App Store Accountability Act Mandating Age Verification
U.S. Health Secretary Ends Select COVID-19 Vaccine Recommendations
Vatican Calls for Sustainable Tourism in 2025 Message
Trump Warns Putin Is 'Playing with Fire' Amid Escalating Ukraine Conflict
India and Pakistan Engage Trump-Linked Lobbyists to Influence U.S. Policy
U.S. Halts New Student Visa Interviews Amid Enhanced Security Measures
Trump Administration Cancels $100 Million in Federal Contracts with Harvard
SpaceX Starship Test Flight Ends in Failure, Mars Mission Timeline Uncertain
King Charles Affirms Canadian Sovereignty Amid U.S. Statehood Pressure
Trump Threatens 25% Tariff on iPhones Amid Dispute with Apple CEO
Putin's Helicopter Reportedly Targeted by Ukrainian Drones
Liverpool Car Ramming Incident Leaves Multiple Injured
Australia Faces Immigration Debate Following Labor Party Victory
Iranian Revolutionary Guard Founder Warns Against Trusting Regime in Nuclear Talks
Macron Dismisses Viral Video of Wife's Gesture as Playful Banter
Cleveland Clinic Study Questions Effectiveness of Recent Flu Vaccine
Netanyahu Accuses Starmer of Siding with Hamas
Junior Doctors Threaten Strike Over 4% Pay Offer
Labour MPs Urge Chancellor to Tax Wealthy Over Cutting Welfare
Publication of UK Child Poverty Strategy Delayed Until Autumn
France Detains UK Fishing Vessel Amid Post-Brexit Tensions
Calls Grow to Resume Syrian Asylum Claims in UK
Nigel Farage Pledges to Reinstate Winter Fuel Payments
Boris and Carrie Johnson Welcome Daughter Poppy
×