Punishment of Poland by EC is 'a paradox' says Polish PM
Mateusz Morawiecki, Poland's prime minister, has criticised the European Commission (EC) for having imposed sanctions on his country which, he says, has been helping defend the freedom and democracy of Ukraine.
"Poland, which has opened its door and heart to Ukrainian refugees, which helps defend the freedom, democracy and sovereignty of Ukraine, has been punished by the EC," Morawiecki said after his meeting with President Emmanuel Macron in Paris on Monday.
The EC approved Poland's National Recovery Plan in early June, opening the way for Warsaw to get funds from the European Recovery Fund. But the EC has long been at loggerheads with Poland's ruling Law and Justice and froze Warsaw's access to the funds until Poland meets several conditions, known as "milestones", including the rule of law.
On Sunday, Reuters reported that four European judges' associations challenged, in the European Union's General Court, a decision to approve Poland's recovery and resilience plan.
"(President Macron) has fully understood the absurdity of the entire situation in which, today, two countries, namely, Russia and Poland, had been punished most severely by the European Commission," Morawiecki said.
"Poland, which secures Nato's eastern flank, and Russia, which has been committing war crimes and killing not only soldiers but also civilians in Ukraine. This really is a great paradox," he added.
In May, Poland adopted new legislation abolishing a disciplinary chamber for judges at the Polish Supreme Court, which has been at the heart of a dispute between Brussels and Warsaw. The country stands to receive EUR 23.9 billion in grants and EUR 11.5 billion in cheap loans.
