Will Poland soften on KPO? Minister: We are open

The Minister of European Affairs Szymon Szynkowski aka Sęk referred to the issue of the National Reconstruction Plan on TVP Info. Poland is deprived of KPO funds as the only country in the Community.

The representative of the government assured that talks on obtaining funds from the EU were still underway. Szynkowski vel Sęk stressed that in the position presented to Brussels, Poland outlined “clear and impassable borders” based on the constitution and the accession agreement.

What about KPO? Minister: We are open

However, the minister assured that the government wanted an agreement. – On the other hand, if we have already clearly defined these principles – it happened in the last days and weeks – we are open and flexible. To talk about some specific solutions, he said.

He also assured that Poland met the requirements presented by Brussels. – Where the Commission has some doubts, it asks us whether we have fulfilled all the provisions of the so-called milestones. We are of the opinion that in many elements this has already been implemented – said Szymon Szynkowski vel Sęk.

How much progress has been made in the KPO talks? No details

This is another statement by the minister, which confirms the government’s openness to negotiations with the EU. However, we still do not know what stage the talks are at. Szynkowski vel Sęk did not reveal anything after Friday’s talks in Brussels, where he met with the deputy head of the Commission Vera Jourova and the commissioner responsible for justice Didier Reynders.

– I would rather say that we are in the process of dialogue. I would not assess this progress at the moment, because the time for such a conclusion is still ahead of us. Today, we are still in the talks phase,” he said after the meeting.

The Minister also assured that if some of the Union’s demands would require a change in Polish law, such a possibility exists. – Many elements that raise doubts of the European Commission can be clarified in the course of talks and an open, intensive dialogue without introducing legislative changes, but where it would turn out to be impossible, we do not close such a possibility – he said.

Poland without KPO. Billions are waiting

The National Recovery Plan is a strategic plan adopted by the European Union to help member countries rebuild their economies after the COVID-19 pandemic. The plan consists of three main elements. The first provides funds for investments. The National Recovery Plan provides grants and loans for public and private investment in the sectors most affected by the pandemic, such as healthcare, education, research and innovation, transport and logistics, and housing.

The KPO also provides funds for other purposes – e.g. job protection. The funds for the Plan come from EU funds and national public funds.