The news was announced by the EU’s Commissioner for the Economy, Paolo Gentiloni, on Wednesday, Polish state news agency PAP reported.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is set to visit Poland on Thursday to confirm the acceptance of the Polish plan, according to officials.
Brussels approves Polish recovery plan
Von der Leyen said in a statement on Wednesday: “Today, the European Commission has endorsed Poland's EUR 35.4 billion recovery and resilience plan.”
She added: “The implementation of Poland's plan is expected to significantly contribute to the decarbonisation of its economy, while boosting its energy supply independence. The plan also contains several measures to improve the country's investment climate, including a comprehensive reform of the judiciary aimed at strengthening judges' independence.”
Von der Leyen stressed that the approval of the Polish plan “is linked to clear commitments by Poland on the independence of the judiciary, which will need to be fulfilled before any actual payment can be made.”
“I am looking forward to the implementation of these reforms,” she said.
What Poland must do
Key among these reforms is dismantling a controversial disciplinary chamber within Poland’s Supreme Court.
The Polish Sejm, or lower house of parliament, last week voted through a bill to strike down the disciplinary chamber. On Wednesday, the legislation was approved, with a few modifications, by the Senate, the upper house.
Other commitments are changing the judicial disciplinary system and reinstating judges who have been suspended under existing regulations.
If Poland lives up to these commitments, it stands to receive EUR 23.9 billion in grants and EUR 11.5 billion in loans under the EU’s Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF), Brussels said.
Von der Leyen to meet with top Polish officials on Thursday
Von der Leyen is due to hold talks with Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki on Thursday afternoon before both politicians head to Warsaw's Belweder Palace for a meeting with President Andrzej Duda.
Afterwards, von der Leyen, Morawiecki and Duda will hold a joint news conference, the PAP news agency reported.
(pm/gs)
Source: IAR, PAP, ec.europa.eu
Click on the audio player above for a report by Radio Poland's Michał Owczarek.