WARSAW (Reuters) – Poland has submitted two requests worth 40 billion zlotys ($10.34 billion) in total for European Union pandemic recovery funds, 10 billion more than previously planned, a government minister said on Friday.
Poland has already secured the release of billions designed to help EU members recover from the COVID-19 pandemic in exchange for pledges of rule-of-law reforms by Prime Minister Donald Tusk, who took power last year.
The funds, previously suspended over concerns about the independence of the judiciary, will support Poland’s economy, which the European Commission predicts will expand by 2.8% this year, outperforming its central European peers.
“These are huge funds which we will be investing next year,” said Katarzyna Pelczynska-Nalecz, the minister for funds and regional development.
The minister said the funds, which she expected to be paid out by late December, would go towards thermal insulation for houses, modernising railway infrastructure, small and medium-sized farms and healthcare.
She added Poland was likely to submit another double application for EU recovery funds by the end of 2024, targeting total investments worth some 70 billion zlotys next year from the grants envelope of the facility.
Poland’s allotment consists of more than 25 billion euros worth of grants and nearly 35 billion euros of favourably priced loans.
The country is racing to meet a tight end-August 2026 deadline to make the required reforms and spend a large chunk of the available funds to modernise its economy.
($1 = 3.8677 zlotys)
(Reporting by Karol Badohal; Editing by Christina Fincher)
