Poland on track to get 5.1 billion in EU green transition funds

Reuters
Updated ·1 min read
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FILE PHOTO: European flags fly outside the European Commission headquarters in Brussels

(This Nov. 21 story has been corrected to make clear that only the advance payment is not conditional on judicial reforms in paragraphs 3 and 4)

WARSAW (Reuters) - Poland is on track to access 5.1 billion euros ($5.56 billion) in advance payments as part of a European Union programme to encourage a shift from Russian fossil fuels, the bloc's executive said on Tuesday.

The funds, under the REPowerEU scheme, would be in addition to money originally requested by Warsaw under the bloc's COVID-19 recovery fund.

In all, Poland would be receiving 59.8 billion euros, but the rest of the money has been frozen until Warsaw rolls back rule of law reforms that critics say undermine the independence of its judiciary system.

The advance payment of REPowerEU funds, however, is not conditional on any legal reforms.

Concerns over the rule of law have also been blocking access to 76.5 billion euros of EU cohesion funds aimed at raising living standards in poorer regions. Access to the cohesion funds can be unblocked at any time as part of the EU's seven-year budget.

The European Council, formed of EU member states has four weeks to endorse the Commission's assessment, allowing Poland to receive the pre-financing.

Poland has been involved in a series of disputes with the European Union over democratic standards since the nationalist Law and Justice (PiS) party came to power in 2015.

However, an alliance of pro-European Union parties won a majority in an Oct. 15 election and look set to take power. They have promised to mend relations with Brussels and unblock the frozen funds.

($1 = 0.9168 euros)

(Reporting by Alan Charlish; Editing by David Goodman and Barbara Lewis)