Following a year-long debate over the situation of the rule of law in Poland, the European Commission on 1st June finally endorsed the country’s National Recovery and Resilience Plan, unlocking €35.4 bn in grants and preferential loans aimed at supporting Poland’s post-pandemic economic recovery. The new EU funds are conditional on Poland implementing reforms to ensure judicial independence and are expected to significantly impact Polish GDP and bring a number of investment opportunities, particularly in the green and digital sectors.

The endorsement from Brussels leaves Hungary as the only EU member state yet to secure a green light from the EU’s top executive body. Hungary has also been locked in political disputes with EU institutions and is aiming for a similar compromise deal, although the immediate impact of ongoing talks remains uncertain.

Aretera provides further insight into the political and economic impact of the Polish-EU deal, as well as to the state of the EU’s post-pandemic recovery funding in the CEE region.