EU to Back Polish 36 Billion-Euro Aid Plan With Strings Attached
- Rule-of-law dispute has delayed agreement for a year
- Poland needs to meet conditions for payouts, official says
Poland’s government has said it needs the post-pandemic aid to help it provide for more than 3 million refugees fleeing the war in Ukraine.
Photographer: Wojtek Radwanski/AFP/Getty Images
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The European Union is set to approve Poland’s request for 36 billion euros ($39 billion) in post-pandemic aid as it strives to show unity in the bloc for one of its strongest supporters of Ukraine since Russia’s invasion.
However, the decision -- expected to be approved at a meeting of commissioners on Wednesday -- should be seen as a gesture of goodwill, rather than proof the government in Warsaw has done enough to resolve its dispute with the bloc over the rule of law, according to an EU diplomat.