Poland to receive less funds from EU?

The EU’s long-term post-2020 draft budget will be announced in Brussels on Wednesday and sources told Polish Radio said that all the members of the bloc will receive less money because of Brexit.

However, Poland in particular could receive even less, since the Commission wants to introduce more pressure on countries to adhere to EU migration policies, Polish Radio reported.

Polish Radio said that Brussels proposes having “more flexibility” in shifting funds to new destinations, or withdrawing them if a country has problems allocating funds.

Instead of a budget period of seven years, the period covered by the new document will be five years.

One EU official told Polish Radio that through these changes, the Commission would “make it harder for countries to use the money” and that it would be “easier” for the Commission to take it away.

Since coming to power in late 2015, the governing Law and Justice (PiS) party in Poland has clashed with the European Commission over the rule of law in the country.

But private radio station RMF FM reported in May that the European Commission would not push to sanction Poland over rule-of-law concerns.

Poland is also one of just a handful of countries which have not accepted asylum seekers as part of an EU programme to relate refugees residing in camps in Italy and Greece. (rg/pk)