European Commission unblocking $148B frozen funding to Poland

Feb. 23 (UPI) -- The European Commission said Friday it will unblock more than $100 billion in funding for Poland after resolving issues related to the rule of law, the EU executive branch confirmed on Friday.

Payments can total up to $148.2 billion and come after newly-elected Polish President Donald Tusk vowed to repair relations with the European Union.

"Next week the College [of Commissioners] will come forward on two decisions on European funds that are currently blocked for Poland," Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said during a Friday news conference in Warsaw.

"We are impressed by your efforts, and those of the Polish people to restore the rule of law as the backbone of your society. A society where everyone plays by the rules. A society where people and businesses can trust the institutions and can hold authorities to account. Together we will protect the rule of law all over Europe."

Tusk and his Civic Coalition were elected to office on Dec. 13, 2023 and the 67-year-old has pledged to clear up issues with the European Union surrounding the rule of law in Poland.

The Commission has been concerned with the direction of Polish laws since 2015.

"The European Commission is taking action to protect the rule of law in Europe. Judicial reforms in Poland mean that the country's judiciary is now under the political control of the ruling majority," the European Commission said in a 2017 statement.

"In the absence of judicial independence, serious questions are raised about the effective application of EU law, from the protection of investments to the mutual recognition of decisions in areas as diverse as child custody disputes or the execution of European Arrest Warrants."

Polish Minister of Justice Adam Bodnar earlier in the week outlined the country's next immediate steps in addressing the issue.

"The Act on the National Council of the Judiciary, the Supreme Court, the Constitutional Tribunal and the separation of the offices of the Minister of Justice and the Prosecutor General - these are the main points of Poland's Action Plan on restoring the rule of law," Bodnar said Wednesday in a post in Polish on X.

"This plan is an expression of our attachment to European values, but also to our Constitution."