An amendment to the Supreme Court Act has been submitted to the Sejm as a compromise to ensure Poland’s disbursement of EU funds from the National Reconstruction Plan. “These provisions fulfil the assumptions of the arrangements with the European Commission”, said Minister for European Union Affairs Szymon Szynkowski vel Sęk.

He also said that the Polish side’s proposal that judges’ disciplinary cases be dealt with by the Supreme Administrative Court was met with the approval of the European Commission. Thanks to this solution, cases involving judges will be decided by a court that does not raise any objections from the European Commission.

He also recalled that the National Recovery Plan is a loan borrowed jointly by member states for several decades. This money is used by countries to support their economies after the pandemic. Poland benefits from the EU budget without hindrance, receiving money from the cohesion fund, money for regional programmes and agricultural subsidies.

“This is in the interests of Poland, in the interests of very many areas of our everyday life. Above all, it is a very good compromise, expected by society,” says the former Senate Speaker Stanisław Karczewski.

Barbara Dolniak of the Civic Coalition hoped that this time it was indeed an invitation for discussion. “All opposition clubs yesterday (14 December) at a press conference through their representatives announced their full readiness to cooperate”, she added.

In total, more than €20 billion is expected to be transferred to Poland from the EU Reconstruction Fund as grants and more than €30 billion in the form of loans, which are cheap because they were taken out in a more favourable situation even before the crisis caused by the Russian aggression against Ukraine.

Adrian Andrzejewski