European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen met with the newly appointed Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk on Friday. She said the European Union and Poland "need to make up for lost time," referring to the EU pausing NextGenerationEU payments after it found the previous Polish government was in breach of the union's rule of law.
Von der Leyen said the EU will transfer €5 billion from its energy transition fund to Poland before the end of the year to help "modernize its energy systems and decarbonization efforts." However, she told Tusk that the EU and Poland will need to "work hard," especially on the issue of Polish judicial independence, before more funds can be authorized. "But in view of actions that you have taken so far and that you are planning to take, I am hopeful that together we can resolve these issues," she said.
