Media: EU funds for Poland to be cut by 23% in the new budget

According to media reports, in the new European Union 7-year financial framework, cohesion policy funds for Poland will be 23 percent smaller than in the current one. Still, with €64.4 billion that Warsaw will get is the biggest amount among EU member states. The second will be Italy, with €38.6 billion. The new framework, for the 2021-2027 period, will be smaller, mainly due to Brexit and will be worth some €1.279 trillion, compared with €970 billion for the current framework. According to new rules set up by the European Commission, the funds would be cut by 24 percent the most, while the biggest growth in EU funds would be capped at 8 percent. Overall, Southern European countries are the biggest beneficiaries with Poland, potentially facing more cuts, if the funds will be tied to the rule of law, as the European Commission proposes. Warsaw is currently at loggerheads with Brussels which claims that the country’s current judiciary overhaul infringes on democratic standards. The final decision on the size of the multi-annual EU budget will be taken voted on by all EU member states. Regulations on the distribution of funds may, however, be adopted by a qualified majority, but due to the importance of the matter, they will most probably be discussed in a package with the whole proposal for a multiannual financial framework.