This is a claim rejected by TVN. EU funds have been flowing to Poland for some time. The KPO is a specific element, smaller than the overall budget, and it is currently being discussed at EU level. The timing will depend on a decision by the European Commission, as stated by Rafał Bochenek, PiS spokesman, at a press conference with TVN24 journalist Maja Wójcikowska and EP member Tomasz Poręba.
TVN24’s question about KPO funds
Although the press conference focused on questions from PiS, questions also arose about the National Recovery Plan funds. Journalists, including Maja Wójcikowska of TVN24, pressed for details about when money from the National Reconstruction Plan would reach Poland. The questions came despite the Polish leadership’s reticence to answer from the Prime Minister to the President, and despite a time lapse since they were first raised.
Ambiguity remained about whether funds would flow during the current term of government and whether any application to the Constitutional Court had been submitted. The journalist suggested that prior statements had indicated that, even before the bill reached the President, the application would move to the European Commission for funding, a claim that was not consistently echoed by all parties.
The TVN24 representative was repeatedly interrupted as the PiS spokesman discussed specific measures and funding streams.
Polish farmers have been receiving direct payments for some time, the spokesperson noted.
He then argued that while KPO is a distinct portion, it is far smaller than the total budget and remains under EU consideration. The European Commission would decide the timing.
The journalist challenged the EC’s role, asserting that the Polish government had not fulfilled agreed conditions. The spokesman countered that TVN is deeply engaged in the topic and that the legislative process in Poland is ongoing, including President Andrzej Duda’s decision to refer elements of the law to the Constitutional Court as part of prerogatives, a process still not finalized. The court would handle the issues once it has a verdict to issue.
Programs planned under KPO are being pre-financed by the Polish Development Fund (PFR). Everything is on schedule, with these programs ready to start, and payment timing would occur once a formal EC approval and Commission decision to disburse funds are in place. When asked if funds could arrive within the current Sejm, the PiS spokesperson indicated that questions about timing should be directed to the European Commission, which controls the payout timeline.
Poręba, a Member of the European Parliament, joined the discussion, noting that the conversation mixed several threads. He pressed the journalist on the status of the KPO Act and where it stood, emphasizing that the matter is before the Court and that the journalist should allow space to finish, even as the Constitutional Court considers the case. Other funds, including those under the cohesion and agricultural policies, continue to flow to Poland.
The PiS MEP urged staff to let the audience know that EU budget funds are being activated and that the next Financial Perspectives would be launched, mentioning a Warsaw conference with two Commissioners and government officials. He recalled that such an event mobilized 76 billion euros for Polish citizens, suggesting TVN had not covered it adequately though the stakes remained high. The exchange between the journalist and PiS politicians can be viewed in full at the event timeline around 10:50 a.m. to 8:07 p.m.
What does TVN not inform about?
Tomasz Poręba criticized the TVN journalist, asking where the KPO Act currently stands. The TVN24 representative asserted that the matter is before the Court and that questions should be directed to the proper channels. She argued that she needed to finish her point as the case progresses through the Constitutional Court, while Poręba noted that funds from various programs, including cohesion and agricultural policies, continue to reach Poland.
Poręba pressed for a broader set of questions to be addressed and for clarity on other topics, while the PiS MEP asserted that the President has not yet formally sent the application to the Constitutional Tribunal and that the political arena is closely watching the process. The TVN24 journalist remained firm that the discussion must proceed, even as the legal review unfolds.
Bochenek criticized TVN for not routinely informing viewers about EU fund developments and called the channel’s behavior at conferences and in the Sejm unacceptable, urging polite conduct. He insisted that TVN viewers should be informed that EU budget funds are being activated and flowing to Poland, pointing to a major conference in Warsaw where the next Financial Perspectives were announced. That event, which involved European Commissioners and government leaders, reportedly mobilized 76 billion euros for Polish citizens, an event he felt TVN had overlooked. The conversation between the journalist and PiS politicians is available for review in full at the referenced timeline.
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Source: wPolityce