EU Commissioner for Justice Didier Reynders will fly to Poland tomorrow. “We want to show how we are restoring the rule of law in Poland,” said EU Minister Adam Szłapka. Reynders meets with Minister of Foreign Affairs Sikorski and Minister of Justice Bodnar, among others. Next month, Tusk’s government can in turn count on warm words from the head of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, who belongs to the same group as Tusk. The head of the European Council, Charles Michel, is also planning to come to Poland, but the date of the visit has not yet been determined. The question remains whether EU officials want to talk to the opposition about systematic violations of the law in Poland.
On Friday, EU Commissioner for Justice Didier Reynders arrives in Warsaw to meet with the head of the Ministry of Justice Adam Bodnar, Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski and Minister of EU Affairs Adam Szłapka.
We will mainly talk to Commissioner Reynders about the actions we have taken in Poland in recent weeks
– said Minister Szłapka.
Commissioner Reynders is responsible for legal matters, so we want to show how effectively we are restoring the rule of law step by step
– added.
READ ALSO: EU Commissioner Reynders wants to run for the position of Secretary General of the Council of Europe
EU Commissioner for Justice Didier Reynders wants to run for the position of Secretary General of the Council of Europe – report the Belgian newspapers “Le Soir” and “De Tijd”. The news was confirmed in an interview on the website Politico by a Belgian official and a member of the liberals of the Reform Movement (MR), Reynders’ party. This can mean great opportunities
The KPO issue is unclear
Minister Szłapka indicated that the topics will include, among others: topics of the National Reconstruction Plan. In mid-December last year, Poland sent the first application for payment of the KPO to the European Commission. From the first payment application, our country will receive almost 7 billion euros (over 31 billion złoty), of which almost 2.8 billion euros from the grant part and 4.2 billion euros from the loan. As she reported on December 28 last year, Minister of Funds and Regional Policy Katarzyna Pełczyńska-Nałęcz, Poland received 5 billion euros from the RePowerEU program, which is part of the National Reconstruction Plan. It was an advance from the RePowerEU plan, which was negotiated by PiS officials and politicians.
Unfortunately, the matter is not yet clear. Yesterday, after meeting with President Andrzej Duda, the deputy head of the European Commission, Vera Jourova, Jourova said that the payment of money from the KPO to Poland is not yet certain because “it is blocked” and the Tusk government has certain conditions must comply. conditions.
To release the funds, Poland must meet the conditions presented in June 2021. One of these is a disciplinary procedure against judges. They should not stand in the way of independent decision-making. Currently, it is up to Poland to propose actions that will release these funds
– said Jourowa.
Metsola flies to Tusk
The head of the European Parliament, ROberta Metsola, is expected to arrive in Poland in mid-February. He will meet Prime Minister Donald Tusk. According to the preliminary plan, Metsola will be in Warsaw on February 15. He will probably go to Gdańsk on February 16. Metsola, who is Maltese, took over the leadership of the European Parliament in early 2022. She belongs to the European People’s Party, a faction of which Tusk was once the head.
In October, after the elections in Poland, Metsola, who belongs to the same group in the European Parliament as TUSK, welcomed him enthusiastically to Brussels.
Welcome back to Brussels. I am very happy that I was able to meet him after the elections in Poland. You can count on the European Parliament to work together for a strong Poland and a strong Europe.
The head of the European Council, Charles Michel, is also planning to come to Poland, but the date of the visit has not yet been determined.
As you can see, the ‘foreign’ variant also works when the former total opposition took over the government.
READ ALSO:
—The EC does not care about the fate of political prisoners in Poland! Jourova after meeting with President Duda: We do not respond to individual cases
—Reynders will visit Warsaw in connection with EU funds. “FT” on Brussels’ fear of the president’s veto and PiS’s suggestions that Tusk is ignoring the law
koal/porridge
Source: wPolityce