EU officials reportedly not deterred by threats of retaliation from Polish politicians
Poland’s €35.4 billion share of the EU’s Covid-19 recovery fund is set to remain on hold, the European Commission has indicated, according to reports.
In June the Commission and EU governments approved Poland’s plan to disburse its share of the €723.8bn Recovery and Resilience Facility, which would be used for reforms and investments in areas including research and innovation.
But the money is not expected to begin flowing until the EU is satisfied that its concerns around the rule of law in Poland are addressed.
The news website Euractiv reported on 11 August that this stance was unchanged despite recent threats that politicians in Poland would retaliate if the money continued to be held up, such as by blocking EU initiatives requiring unanimous backing.
“It is unlikely that the Commission will lower its requirements, which are rather minimalist anyway and which have been agreed with the Polish government,” one EU official told the website.
It cited local media reports that days earlier a Polish cabinet minister had said, “Since we are dealing with people who do not comply with the terms of the contract…I think you have to play hard.”