The European Union’s executive Commission has said that Poland has met the final requirements to receive EUR 76 billion in structural funds from Brussels over the next three years, the government in Warsaw has announced.

The resources have been earmarked for Poland in the EU’s long-term budget for the years 2021-2027, according to officials. The Commission withheld them in October 2022, after Poland’s previous government failed to meet some of the conditions, including on judiciary reform, news outlets reported. Following Poland’s October 2023 general election, the new pro-European government has taken steps to resolve so called „rule of law” issues which set the country at odds with the EU institutions. In response, the EU has also unblocked resources allocated for Poland in the bloc’s post-pandemic recovery fund, with the first EUR 5 billion tranche arriving in Warsaw in December, according to officials.

Source – Polskie Radio

Poland’s new government has secured a concession from the European Union to limit the influx of farm products from Ukraine, to safeguard the Polish market, according to the „Financial Times.”

The EU’s top trade official told the FT that the bloc would introduce „safeguards,” allowing Brussels to block imports from Ukraine if they risked driving down prices in Poland and other neighbouring countries. These assurances will be included in the extension of the EU’s deal on tariff-free trade with Ukraine, which „should come this week,” Dombrovskis said. The deal will cover „the year to June 2025” and must be approved by the European parliament and a majority of EU countries.

Source – Polskie Radio

Poland’s prime minister has arrived in Kyiv for talks with Ukraine’s leaders on support for Ukraine’s war effort against the Russian invasion and transport issues, among other topics.

Poland’s Donald Tusk arrived in Kyiv by train on Monday morning. He is set to meet with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky and Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, among others, according to officials. Tusk said that for him and Poland’s President Andrzej Duda, developments in Ukraine were „issue number one due to Poland’s national security.” The prime minister added that he would also discuss with Ukrainian leaders „issues to do with the interests of Polish hauliers.”

Source – Polskie Radio

Representatives from the SKM, the Tricity’s metropolitan train service, are hoping to identify two passers-by who saved the life of a man who had fallen onto train tracks from a platform at a station in the city. At the same time a train was pulling into the station.

Thanks to the quick reactions of the train driver who applied the brakes. Two men standing on the platform then managed to pull the injured person safely back onto the platform. Appealing for the heroes to come forward, SKM wrote on their website, „”Gentlemen! We want to thank you personally! Please contact us.”

Source – Radio Gdańsk

Weather

Today will be a cloudy day with some rain showers into the afternoon and temperatures of 5 degree centigrade (41 degrees Fahrenheit) during the day and 1 degree overnight. Tomorrow will turn windy with heavy rain throughout the day and temperatures of 8 degrees during the day and 5 degrees overnight.

Listen:

Martin Caren/MarWer