Poland triples ‘return on investment’ on EU membership

4 months ago 20

Poland has invested €86 billion in the European Union project and gained €261 billion in the 20 years since it joined, according to data presented by Funds and Regional Policy Minister Katarzyna Pełczyńska-Nałęczit at a press conference on Tuesday.

Pełczyńska-Nałęcz presented the data the day before Poland celebrates the 20th anniversary of joining the EU.

“To all those who say that we pay extra for the European Union: it is actually exactly the opposite,” the minister said.

Poland received a total of €261 billion in transfers from the EU budget as of March 2024, including €165 billion under the cohesion policy, €11.4 billion from the EU Recovery and Resilience Facility, and €78 under the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), the minister added.

Poland was long denied access to the EU’s recovery funds due to the European Commission’s concerns about the rule of law under the previous PiS (ECR) government.

It was only after the current cabinet of Prime Minister Donald Tusk presented a reform plan to restore the independence of the country’s judiciary that the Commission lifted its hold.

Still, due to the long delay, Poland risks not meeting the deadline to deliver on all the investments and reforms stated in its Recovery and Resilience Plan (KPO), which would result in losing EU financing.

The government thus adopted a revision of the Recovery Plan on Tuesday to ensure that the deadlines are met and Poland receives the EU reimbursement.

Poland is eligible for €59.8 billion under the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF), including €25.27 billion in grants and €34.54 in soft loans.

Poland joined the European Union on 1 May 2004, along with Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Slovakia and Slovenia.

(Aleksandra Krzysztoszek | Euractiv.pl)