Yevgeny Gorin, political commentator for the Belarus 1 TV channel, falsely reported on March 6 on RadioMinsk that the EU had made an unexpected decision. Here is what he in particular said:
“The U.S. is not able to allocate this unfortunate $60 billion for Ukraine. At this very moment, Poland suddenly unfreezes €147 billion [actually €137 billion — ed.] for Poland.”
Presenter Vadim Elfimov corrected his slip: “Brussels.”
Then Gorin continued: “Ostensibly for judicial reform. Suddenly. In winter. It's not clear why. I suppose that the money will not be used for judicial reform but for the purchase of American weapons.”
In 2021, Brussels has frozen EU funds for Warsaw, mentioned above by Gorin, in connection with judicial reform. The EU's highest court, the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg, found this reform to be a violation of EU law. Those changes were initiated by the ruling Law and Justice party. Then the opposition won the 2023 parliamentary elections.
In his election program, Donald Tusk, the party leader and current prime minister, promised to achieve the unblocking of the frozen fund.
After coming to power, he sent the EU an action plan to ensure the rule of law in Poland and a request to unblock the funds. Having adopted two legal acts, Brussels decided to send about 6 million euros (the first tranche) to Poland. Fullfit with all EU requirements for judicial independence will allow Poland to access the remaining funds.
Poland will not be able to spend the money on the purchase of weapons. Funds are intended for specific purposes, such as: promoting green energy, the transition to digital technologies, and supporting healthcare.
