Poland in the EU

The current crisis, in the opinion of the representative of the Croatian Presidency, has shown the weakness of the EU especially with respect to the functioning of the global value chains. The ministers agreed on the need to increase EU independence from non-EU partners in the area of ​​production and access to strategic materials. Increasing resilience and strengthening the EU's industrial base, including in the digital aspect and artificial inteligence, is also a priority for the European Commission, as Vice-President Margrethe Vestager assured on the EC's behalf.

The EU's internal market is to be a key instrument for rebuilding the European Union after the pandemic crisis. Ministers pointed out that the EU's priority should also be to increase resilience and strengthen strategic autonomy, especially in the field of medical materials and pharmaceuticals. Poland is among the Member States that underlined during the meeting that the ambitions of the Green Deal cannot be pursued at the expense of industry and its competitiveness.

In response to comments from Member States, Vice-President Vestager emphasized that the European Commission has significantly accelerated the processing of notifications in the field of state aid - it issues on average 2 decisions per day. She explained that the extended processing of applications was caused by the new methodology and complexity of cases. She added that the main principles in granting State aid remain unchanged. In conclusion, she indicated that the publication of the Recovery Plan by the European Commission is to be expected on 27 May and that business support in areas where the level of national assistance is not sufficient will be its main element.

Poland during the meeting was represented by Undersecretary of State in the Ministry of Development, Krzysztof Mazur.