Owing to the constitutional chaos that the right-wing populist government has created for itself, the country will not see any EU recovery funds before this fall’s general election. That should give the opposition a big advantage, though that remains to be seen.
WARSAW – Next door to Ukraine, where people are being killed every day for wanting to join the European Union, Polish leaders are waging what they have called a war on two fronts – against both Russia and the EU. As a result of this “war,” the country’s populist government, led by the right-wing Law and Justice (PiS) party, has failed to unlock the €160 billion ($170 billion) that was allocated to Poland under the EU’s pandemic recovery fund. While the government has negotiated a program with the European Commission to release the funds, which requires merely clearing the low bar of not brazenly undermining the rule of law, getting the reforms approved by the Sejm (parliament) has proven to be difficult.
WARSAW – Next door to Ukraine, where people are being killed every day for wanting to join the European Union, Polish leaders are waging what they have called a war on two fronts – against both Russia and the EU. As a result of this “war,” the country’s populist government, led by the right-wing Law and Justice (PiS) party, has failed to unlock the €160 billion ($170 billion) that was allocated to Poland under the EU’s pandemic recovery fund. While the government has negotiated a program with the European Commission to release the funds, which requires merely clearing the low bar of not brazenly undermining the rule of law, getting the reforms approved by the Sejm (parliament) has proven to be difficult.