"If the European Commission greenlights Poland's post-COVID National Recovery Plan [KPO], that will be its defeat. The EU, instead of compromising with Poland, should dissolve and create a new community the next moment involving Germany and France, but excluding Poland and Hungary," Walesa told the Polish media outlet Interia on Saturday.
On Wednesday, the European Commission approved the post-COVID recovery plan for Poland, allocating over 35 billion euros ($37.5 billion) for this purpose. The decision was possibly influenced by Warsaw's assistance to Ukraine despite previous concerns voiced by Brussels over Poland's compliance with the rule of law principle, according to media reports.
In December 2020, EU member states agreed on a long-term financial plan and a fund for the recovery of the European economy that suffered significantly from the COVID-19 pandemic. In July 2020, EU leaders agreed on an 800 billion euro emergency aid package to finance the recovery. The package provided an opportunity for issuing concessional loans and subsidies to the countries of the union.
The decision to link the allocation of funds with the issue of the rule of law was made despite objections from Poland and Hungary, which are often criticised by western European countries for non-compliance with its principles.