Poland with big chances to get record funds from EU - FM

Polish Foreign Minister Jacek Czaputowicz said on Thursday that there were big chances that Poland would obtain record-high funding from the EU recovery fund without the condition of linking it to the rule of law, a stipulation which Poland does not accept.

On Friday, EU leaders will meet in Brussels to discuss the future EU budget and the reconstruction fund. One of the topics will also concern a mechanism that would link the rule of law to EU budget.

In an interview with Polish Radio One, Czaputowicz noted that Germany, which currently holds the EU presidency, and the southern European member states, want to quickly adopt the next long-term EU budget for the years 2021-2027.

He added that Poland's condition is that the budget plan must not be associated with any condition relating to the rule of law. "Not because we believe that the rule of law is not important, but we believe that objective criteria cannot be created here, and it may be an instrument of pressure on states. We believe we are a law-abiding state," the minister noted.

Czaputowicz observed that there were big chances to obtain record-high funding, which would be good for the Polish economy.

According to the latest proposal of the head of the European Council, EUR 750 billion is to be allocated to the reconstruction of economies after the coronavirus pandemic, whereas the EU budget for 2021-2027 is to amount to EUR 1.074 trillion. The post-crisis recovery fund is to be financed by EUR 250 billion in loans and EUR 500 billion in grants.