“A bit of a percussionist.” Billions from the EU are not Tusk’s big success

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen arrived in Wrocław on Thursday, where she met Prime Minister Donald Tusk, Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico and Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer. She announced that countries affected by the floods can use EUR 10 billion from the Cohesion Fund. – This is a huge pool that can now be used from the large structural funds that have already been allocated to Poland for the entire 2021-2027 financial perspective. This is EUR 76 billion. That is how much we have. Of course, we have already invested some of it. And now we can redirect from this pool up to EUR 5 billion, that is, up to PLN 20 billion, for investments in the reconstruction of the region where this tragedy took place – the minister said.

Therefore, these are not new funds, but money that the EC wants to transfer.

Propaganda of success

However, those in power are presenting this issue as a huge success of Donald Tusk. “Effect: 10 billion euros (including 5 billion euros in Poland) from the Cohesion Fund on preferential terms will be released for post-flood reconstruction,” wrote Jan Grabiec, the head of the Prime Minister’s Office, on the X website. “Our government partners admit that this story could give the wrong impression. – With these EU funds, it is a bit of a joke – says a government official. – This is not new money, it is an opportunity to reprogram the money from the Cohesion Fund that we already have – he adds” – describes money.pl.

Tusk himself says this: – Theoretically, this money was already in our pockets – 5 billion euros – but we could not spend it for various reasons. Now they will be freed from procedures that would probably prevent their use, also as a result of delays in the spending of EU funds in recent years.