Exclusive: EU to find way to help Poland access frozen EU cash -Hahn

Because the newly elected Polish government is working toward easing the worries of the European Union over the rule of law, European Budget Commissioner Johannes Hahn stated on Wednesday that the European Commission would find a way for Poland to access around 111 billion euros in restricted EU funds.

On Wednesday, the new administration under centrist Prime Minister Donald Tusk took office after eight years of nationalist rule. This was the final stage in a power transfer that symbolized a significant transformation.

The election of Tusk has given many people hope that relations with the European Union will improve after years of hostilities between Warsaw and Brussels under the previous government’s leadership of the Law and Justice (PiS) party.

“We have a lot of expectations, and we will certainly support him (Tusk) in his efforts,” Hahn said in an interview with Reuters. “We are very excited about this.”

At this point, we are not discussing the immediate flow of billions of dollars but the de-blocking of money. The next step is to choose how to continue,” he stated. “I do not doubt that we will develop strategies to assist Poland. “There is no question in our minds that they are heading in the right direction, so to speak, in terms of the rule of law,” he continued.

The Commission’s first official statement regarding Poland’s chances of receiving funding from the EU following the change in government was Hahn’s declaration. Tusk arrived in Brussels on Wednesday for a meeting of the European Union, where he will meet with the Commission to discuss the frozen money while remaining on the sidelines.

Until Warsaw recovers the independence of its court system, which the PiS administration has eroded, Poland’s access to grants and loans from the European Union’s recovery fund, which totaled 35.4 billion euros ($38.1 billion), is in jeopardy. The EU has blocked Polish access to these funds until Warsaw restores its independence.

Similar issues prevent Poland from gaining access to 76.5 billion euros ($82.5 billion) in cohesion funding from the European Union. These funds are intended to improve living standards in the more impoverished parts of the EU.

Poland must enact new legislation to satisfy some of the Commission’s proposals. These demands require the country to reverse the policies the previous nationalist administration implemented.

On the other hand, the new legislation will need to be signed by Poland’s President Andrzej Duda, who agrees with the previous government and has indicated that he would not support it.

When Duda’s tenure ends in the middle of 2025, it presents a challenge for the Tusk government. Hahn stated that the Commission will collaborate with Warsaw to solve the issue.

There is no way that I am currently aware of how this can be accomplished. On the other hand, we are not going to wait precisely one and a half years; therefore, I believe that there must be some type of solution,” he stated.