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Donald Tusk and Ursula von der Leyen: Poland's Prime Minister and the President of the EU Commission at a press conference in Warsaw

Photo: Wojtek Radwanski / AFP

Anyone who undermines constitutional standards will not receive any money: the EU Commission wants to use this means of pressure to encourage member states to maintain the independence of the judiciary.

Poland felt the consequences of this mechanism - a total of 137 billion euros were withheld due to the policies of the right-wing nationalist government led by the PiS party, which has now been voted out.

Now the pro-European government of Prime Minister Donald Tusk, who was sworn in in December, can hope that the frozen sums will arrive soon.

The EU Commission has announced the release of the funds.

The Tusk government has introduced the required reforms for greater independence of the courts.

EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen had already announced the release of the funds last week.

The Polish government has made considerable efforts, she said during a visit to Warsaw.

Billions in Corona aid and funding

Specifically, it's about almost 60 billion euros from the EU's Corona recovery program.

Of this, 34.5 billion euros will flow in the form of loans and 25.3 billion euros in the form of grants.

In addition, there is around 76.5 billion euros from the EU cohesion budget, which is intended to equalize the living standards of the member states; the money is intended for regional development and fisheries, for example.

The sums are to be paid out in several stages.

The Brussels authorities cannot decide on their own about the release of Corona aid.

The member states still have to agree.

After the change of government in December, Poland received an advance of over five billion euros from the fund that was set up for the recovery of the economy after the corona pandemic.

From the EU's perspective, the PiS government had massively restricted the rule of law, especially through a judicial reform that Brussels objected to.

From the perspective of the European Court of Justice (ECJ), it endangered the independence of the judges there.

The EU had also criticized a ruling by the Polish Constitutional Court, according to which parts of EU law were incompatible with Poland's constitution.

This decision is seen as highly problematic because it could give Polish politicians an excuse to ignore unpleasant rulings by the ECJ.

Tusk now wants to defuse the reforms again with his coalition government.

During the election campaign before the change of government, he had already promised his fellow countrymen a rapprochement with Brussels in order to release blocked aid.

Last week, Justice Minister Adam Bodnar presented the EU partners with a reform plan for eliminating constitutional deficits.

It is about a procedure initiated at the end of 2017, with which Poland was threatened with a withdrawal of voting rights in the EU Council of Ministers due to violations of the rule of law.

Warsaw hopes that the process will end before the European elections in early June.

Hungary would then be the only country against which such proceedings are still ongoing.

ulz/dpa/AFP