2022-06-02 19:28 update: 2022-06-04, 16:28
Ursula von der Leyen, Mateusz Morawiecki, Andrzej Duda PHOTO PAP/Leszek Szymański
Andrzej Duda, the Polish president, has expressed satisfaction that his amendments to the Supreme Court law "have led to agreement both in the Polish parliament and in the EU," and praised the EC's approval of Poland's National Recovery Plan (KPO).
Duda made the statement during a joint press conference with EC President Ursula von der Leyen and Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki in Warsaw on Thursday.
"I am really very happy as this has a breakthrough significance for Poland to be able to obtain EU funds in the future," Duda said.
"There is a common Europe - everything which is Poland's success in the EU is also the EU's success. And the EU's success is also a Polish success," Duda added.
"The funds from the KPO will serve the common good," Andrzej Duda went on to say.
"The infrastructure which will be financed with these funds, will help build a better world," Duda added.
Ursula Von der Leyen said that the first payment would be possible only when a new law regarding disciplinary cases of judges had come into force.
She stated that all EU plans regarding the recovery and development were linked with reforms and Poland's obligation to ensure the independence of the judiciary.
She went on to say that, first, the Disciplinary Chamber of the Supreme Court had to be liquidated and replaced with an independent court, and that all disciplinary proceedings required reform while contested disciplinary offences had to be withdrawn.
According to the EC president, the judges who had suffered because of verdicts issued by the Disciplinary Chamber had to be entitled to new proceedings by a new body.
She stated that these 'three milestones' had to be fulfilled before any payments could be made.
The EC president also said that Poland had to show by the end of 2023 that all unlawfully dismissed judges had been reinstated.
"We are not at the end of the road on the rule of law in Poland," Ursula von der Leyen told a press conference.
Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki declared that Poland would surely not approve anarchy in the administration of justice "as this is a sovereign decision of every EU member to make this system be as effective as possible."
The prime minister stated that it was in Poland's interest that all judges are independent and impartial. "And this reform, and decisions within the National Recovery Plan, have also concerned this," he added.
"Poland with its strong and stable economic growth is one of Europe's main driving forces," Morawiecki said, adding that the KPO would support the development of both Poland and Europe.
According to prime minister, KPO funds would in a considerable degree be spent on climate and energy transition.
"This will serve well the Polish economy and the Polish people, and will also make it possible to help Europe become independent of Russia's energy raw materials," he said.
The European Commission president officially confirmed the EU executive's long-awaited approval of Poland's National Recovery plan, which will enable conditional release of billions of euros in grants and loans to the country.
The commission's approval of Poland's recovery plan must be confirmed by the other 26 European Union member states within four weeks. Following their consent, Warsaw will eventually gain access to EUR 23.9 billion in grants and EUR 11.5 billion in loans.
The dispute over the rule of law had led to the EC delaying its approval of the KPO, prompting the Polish government to adhere to a European court demand that it liquidate a judicial disciplinary body. (PAP)
