The positive assessment of the Polish KPO is an important step toward the EU disbursement of EUR 23.9 billion in subsidies and EUR 11.5 billion in loans under the Reconstruction Fund – the European Commission said. The decision was announced by the European Commissioner for Economy, Paolo Gentiloni. The Commission indicated that the disbursement of the funds would be conditional on the achievement of milestones on the independence of the judiciary.

“The approval of this plan is associated with clear obligations of Poland regarding the independence of the judiciary, which will have to be fulfilled before any actual payment is made” – stressed the head of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen
The President of the European Commission will travel to Warsaw on Thursday to present the plan, as she has done with all other reconstruction plans, said EU Economy Commissioner Paolo Gentiloni
“The mix of reforms and investments should bring about real changes in Poland and help build a more resilient economy” – said the Vice-President of the European Commission, Valdis Dombrovski.

Today we talked about the Polish KPO. After discussion, the College of Commissioners agreed to submit a request to the Council of the EU to implement the plan. The President of the European Commission will travel to Warsaw tomorrow (Thursday) to present it, as she has done with all other reconstruction plans, Gentiloni said at a press conference in Brussels following the meeting of the College of EU Commissioners.

The meeting of the College of Commissioners to discuss the decision in person was the first such as all other national plans were approved without discussion, via a written procedure, a senior official told POLITICO earlier. This fact alone is evidence of the scruples that have aroused this among some of the commissioners.

The Polish KPO contains milestones related to important aspects of the independence of the judiciary; Poland must show that these milestones have been achieved before any disbursements under the Reconstruction Fund can be made, the European Commission stressed on Wednesday.

Ursula von der Leyen: I am looking forward to implementing these reforms

“Today, the European Commission approved a plan for the reconstruction and resilience of Poland worth EUR 35.4 billion. It is expected that the implementation of the plan will significantly contribute to the decarbonization of the Polish economy while increasing its energy independence,” said the head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen.

“The plan also includes a number of measures to improve the investment climate in the country, including a comprehensive reform of the judiciary to strengthen the independence of judges. Other measures are aimed at increasing labor force participation, including for women,” she added.

“The approval of this plan brings with it clear commitments by Poland regarding the independence of the judiciary, which will have to be fulfilled before any actual payment is made. I look forward to implementing these reforms,” said Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

“The Polish plan includes significant health care reforms”

The Vice-President of the European Commission, Valdis Dombrovskis, recalled that as part of KPO, Poland also plans to further digitize its economy and provide access to high-speed Internet and invest in the implementation of the 5G network.

“The Polish plan includes significant health care reforms and supports the modernization of the education system and efforts to improve the functioning of the labor market. (…) This mix of reforms and investments should bring about real changes in Poland and help build a more resilient economy,” said Dombrovskis.

The EU Reconstruction Fund is to contribute to building a stronger economy in the European Union in response to the crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The fund comprises 800 billion euros in grants and loans. Poland is applying for EUR 23.9 billion available under grants and EUR 11.5 billion from the loan part.