Polish PM doubts EU money deal will be done this month

Mateusz Morawiecki, the Polish prime minister, has said he is not expecting an agreement on EU funds for Poland with the European Commission (EC) this week.

Poland and the EC have been at odds over changes to the country's judicial system, which Brussels says infringe upon European values.

The conflict has stalled the reimbursement of billions of euros in EU pandemic funding for Poland, and the country's government has been unable to reach an agreement on how to change the justice system to meet the EU's requirements, largely due to a staunch anti-EU stance of a small government ally.

Morawiecki said he had no hope for an immediate agreement with the European Commission (EC), despite the fact that EC President Ursula von der Leyen is coming to Poland this Saturday.

"There is no chance for the approval of the National Recovery Plan (by the EC), because we haven't reached an agreement yet," he said.

"I still hope that such an agreement will be reached in April or perhaps at the beginning of May," he added.

The National Recovery Plan sets up how Poland will spend the funding, and it needs to be approved before any money can be released.