Elżbieta Rafalska, in an interview with PAP, said that Poland should submit requests for the payment of “part of the money (from the KPO) for the milestones” owed to us, and then “wait for the money be transferred to us”.
“We certainly must not make any concessions today. Speaking of waiting, I was not talking about the next negotiations in which the conditions for Poland will be multiplied, to which we will have to respond, because there will be no end to these conditions. I have no doubt about it“- she pointed out.
See also: Poland still without KPO money. Buda talks about “plan B”
When asked if she thought KPO funds would go to Poland, she replied, “They will.” “I am not sure of the total amount“- she added.
According to her, Poland is now in the “last straight line” to withdraw funds. She felt that Polish politicians should not say that “we don’t need these funds”. “They are necessary and are due” – she added. “What is the reason why Poland is treated differently from other countries? asked the PiS MEP.
Rafalska also referred to Saturday reports from the weekly ‘Der Spiegel’, which show that European Commission deputy head Vera Jourova has become an opponent of European Commission head Ursula von der Leyen over accepting the Polish KPO and remittance of funds to Poland.
“Maybe there are such roles. Ursula von der Leyen is the good policeman, and Vera Jourova must be someone who takes the odious for von der Leyen who does not respect his agreements. carries out his orders, shows von der Leyen’s weakness – if that were to be the case,” she said. “I think it’s a kind of political cover-up” – assessed the PiS MEP.
According to her the hardening of Poland’s position vis-à-vis the European Commission announced by PiS President Jarosław Kaczyński in connection with the lack of disbursement of funds for the KPO will consist in the fact that the dialogue between the Polish government and the European Commission “will take place in a different tone”. “Counting on Poland to show understanding and solidarity on other issues important to the EU will end a bit,” she said. She added that Poland “cannot count on this kind of solidarity from other countries”.
See also: Kaczyński on the European Commission: We have shown maximum goodwill
At the beginning of June, the European Commission approved the Polish national reconstruction plan. This is a step towards the EU disbursing €23.9 billion in grants and €11.5 billion in loans under the Reconstruction Fund. The EC underlined, inter alia, that the Polish KPO “contains milestones related to important aspects of the independence of the judiciary, which are particularly important for improving the investment climate and creating the conditions for an effective implementation effective” and that “Poland must demonstrate that these milestones have been met before making any payments from the Reconstruction Fund”.
On July 15, the amendment to the law on the Supreme Court, initiated by President Andrzej Duda, entered into force, according to which the Disciplinary Chamber ceased to exist and was replaced by the Professional Responsibility Chamber. The president stressed that his objective was to repair the functioning of justice in our country and to “give the government a tool” to end the dispute with the European Commission and unblock the National Reconstruction Plan. Changes to the Supreme Court were expected by the European Commission as part of the European Court of Justice ruling in July last year. The commission, among other things, made the approval of the KPO and the disbursement of funds from the Reconstruction Fund to Poland dependent on changes in this regard.
At the end of July, the head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, told the DGP that in order to receive funds from the National Reconstruction Plan, Poland must respect the commitments made to reform the system of disciplinary measures. She admitted that the new law is an important step, but “the new law (Supreme Court Amendment Act – PAP) does not guarantee judges the ability to challenge the status of another judge without risking being held liable for disciplinary action”. action.” Von der Leyen stressed that Poland must also fully comply with the judgment of the Court of Justice of the EU, which has not yet happened. “In particular, the suspended judges have not been reinstated and the daily monetary penalty is still in force. We are in contact with the Polish authorities on these issues and we want to find a solution” – she added.
