Poland expects EU post-pandemic support to be fair - minister
Poland is ready to support the EU's post-pandemic recovery fund if the support is fair for all countries and sectors affected by coronavirus, Polish EU Minister Konrad Szymanski told PAP on Tuesday.
The European Commission, the EU's executive arm, is expected to present a proposal on the EU recovery fund that will help EU economies get back on track after the coronavirus epidemic.
"Our support for the solutions to be proposed by the European Commission depends on fair allocation of money among various needs of member states, and spreading burdens on the basis of objective prosperity of countries," Szymanski said.
On Tuesday, the topic was discussed by EU affairs ministers from all member states during a videoconference.
Szymanski said Poland was positive about increasing the borrowing headroom by the EU beyond the EU budget limit. "But, first of all, we expect fair support for all countries and all sectors that will suffer due to the crisis," he said.
Poland is among countries that have been moderately affected by the coronavirus pandemic in terms of GDP growth figures. This causes concerns in the Polish government that significant money could be redirected to southern members, notably Italy and Spain, where the pandemic has had more serious economic implications.
Among Poland's spending priorities, Szymanski named tourism, infrastructure, agriculture, transport, healthcare and protecting jobs.
"To fund these needs, the EU should become serious about tax fraud. Additionally, the EU has unused resources in the form of new taxation methods," the Polish minister said.
