The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, conveyed the EU institution’s positive assessment of Poland's €35.4 billion recovery plan under the Next Generation EU Recovery Plan (see EUROPE 12963/3) in Warsaw on Thursday 2 June.
Mrs von der Leyen stressed that the planned investments in the climate transition - €5 billion will be spent on the development of solar energy and hydrogen, among other things - were “not only good for the climate, but also for our independence” from Russian hydrocarbons. She has repeatedly praised the generosity of the Poles in hosting the 3.5 million refugees who fled the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The President of the European Commission listed the reforms expected from the Polish government in order to strengthen the independence of the judiciary from political power, in line with European jurisprudence. These reforms concern the controversial disciplinary regime for Polish judges, especially when they request a preliminary opinion from the EU Court of Justice.
“These commitments (...) must be fulfilled before any payment can be made”, she warned.
Putting aside differences of opinion on this issue, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki welcomed the efforts of Polish President Andrzej Duda, who was present at the meeting, to find an appropriate judicial reform. “It is in our interest to ensure that judges are independent”, he said, referring to the case of judges appointed during the communist era.
According to a European source, the first tranche of aid, amounting to €4.2 billion (€2.8 billion in grants and €1.4 billion in loans), is expected to be paid in September. A financial arrangement between the European Commission and the Polish authorities is still to be negotiated once the EU Council has adopted the Polish plan.
Poland can still call on an additional €23 billion in loans.
The European Parliament will debate the Polish recovery plan on Tuesday 7 June. (Original version in French by Mathieu Bion)