EU chief: Poland’s actions will decide when it gets funds

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — The European Commission chief says the disbursement of pandemic recovery funds to Poland depends on the government’s ensuring of judicial independence. Commission President Ursula von der Leyen was in Warsaw Thursday to officially confirm the EU executive’s long-delayed approval of Poland’s pandemic recovery plan, which would enable conditional release of billions of euros in grants and loans. But she stressed the disbursement will be made only when Warsaw proves that the required “milestones” in judicial independence have been met. Poland is taking steps in that direction, but has not completed any of them. Von der Leyen met Poland’s Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki and President Andrzej Duda. At stake are 36 billion euros ($38.5 billion) that Poland urgently needs.