EU Commissioner for Justice Didier Reynders is slated to travel to Poland in the coming day. The purpose is to demonstrate the EU’s commitment to restoring the rule of law in Poland. EU Minister Adam Szłapka emphasized the aim of showing tangible progress as Reynders engages with Poland’s senior officials, including Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski and Justice Minister Adam Bodnar. In the weeks ahead, Poland can anticipate supportive statements from key European figures, notably Roberta Metsola, the president of the European Parliament, who shares the same political family as Tusk. Charles Michel, the head of the European Council, has also signaled plans to visit Poland, although his travel date has not been fixed. A central question remains whether EU leaders will also engage with opposition voices about ongoing concerns over the rule of law in Poland.
On Friday, Reynders is expected to land in Warsaw for talks with Adam Bodnar, Radosław Sikorski, and EU Affairs Minister Adam Szłapka, among others.
Szłapka stated that the primary focus will be discussions with Commissioner Reynders about actions taken by Poland in recent weeks to reinforce the rule of law and institutional independence.
Reynders, who oversees legal matters for the EU, is expected to hear firsthand how Poland is implementing step by step reforms aimed at strengthening judicial integrity and accountability.
READ ALSO: EU Commissioner Reynders eyes role as Secretary General of the Council of Europe
Reynders is reportedly a candidate for the post of Secretary General at the Council of Europe, a development reported by European papers Le Soir and De Tijd and corroborated in a Politico interview with a Belgian official aligned with the Reform Movement party. The potential appointment could carry significant implications for future EU-Poland relations.
The KPO issue remains unsettled
Szłapka indicated that topics will include the National Reconstruction Plan. Poland submitted the first request for payment under the KPO to the European Commission in mid-December of the previous year. The expected disbursement would total about 7 billion euros, consisting of roughly 2.8 billion euros in grants and 4.2 billion euros in loans. Poland also reported receiving 5 billion euros from the RePowerEU component of the National Reconstruction Plan, an advance linked to negotiations and reforms tied to Polish policy. The specifics of these arrangements have been influenced by negotiations that involved Polish officials from PiS and other policymakers.
Yet the situation remains uncertain. After a meeting with President Andrzej Duda, Vera Jourova, the vice-president of the European Commission, noted that disbursement of KPO funds to Poland is not guaranteed at present because certain conditions must be met by the current government. The EU has emphasized that adherence to reform commitments is essential to unlock funding.
To release the funds, Poland must meet the conditions outlined by the June 2021 framework. One key condition concerns judicial discipline, ensuring that independent decision making is not hindered. Poland now has the opportunity to propose concrete actions that could pave the way for unlocking the funds.
– said Jourova in relation to the ongoing prerequisites.
Metsola’s scheduled trip to meet Tusk
The president of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, is planned to arrive in Poland in mid-February to meet Prime Minister Donald Tusk. The preliminary schedule suggests Metsola’s arrival in Warsaw around February 15, with a potential visit to Gdańsk on February 16. Metsola, a Maltese figure who assumed the EP leadership in early 2022, belongs to the European People’s Party, a faction once headed by Tusk in the European Parliament. In October, following Poland’s elections, Metsola welcomed Tusk warmly to Brussels, underscoring a commitment to a strong Poland within a strong Europe.
Her remarks in Brussels during the post-election period highlighted confidence in cooperative efforts to support Poland’s trajectory and reinforce European unity.
The European Council president, Charles Michel, is also planning a visit to Poland, though a date has not yet been finalized. The coordination of these visits underscores a broader strategic dialogue about Poland’s governance and its alignment with EU expectations.
The broader context suggests that the dialogue is shaping up to show how the European Union views the political changes in Poland and how those changes intersect with the bloc’s democratic norms and financial arrangements.
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—Representative coverage and analysis from Polish outlets continue to reflect on how EU authorities balance support with accountability in relation to Poland’s governance developments.
Source: wPolityce