The EU's Recovery and Resilience Fund (RRF), currently valued at over €806 billion, was created following an EPP initiative calling for a dedicated EU-wide economic recovery package to respond to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Poland stands to benefit from €60 billion (almost 300 billion zlotys) under the RRF, if all opportunities are seized and the funds are managed well. Unfortunately, in Poland, it seems that Mayors and local government officials valuable expertise is being overlooked by the Law and Justice government. The EPP Group is keen to meet with locally-elected representatives to hear their views. At the same time, the European Parliament has a responsibility to monitor the rollout of the recovery funds, while the Commission must scrutinise the fulfilment of the RRF milestones before making any payments

The European Instrument for Recovery and Resilience, the so-called Recovery Fund, is an investment fund, created on the initiative of the European Christian Democrats, to help with economic recovery after the COVID - 19 pandemic. Under this instrument, Poland can count on almost 60 billion euros or almost 300 billion zlotys. This is more than the available funds from the EU budget. It would be a sin not to take advantage of this much-needed money. Unfortunately, the Law and Justice (PiS) government is preventing the Poles from doing so.

City Mayors and local government officials know best what the situation on the ground is like; unfortunately they have been completely ignored by the Law and Justice government. That is why we in the European Parliament have begun work to change the rules on the Reconstruction Fund and have taken steps to unlock its potential, currently inaccessible to Poles. This is our road to economic recovery. It starts at local level.

We must strengthen our cooperation and work together in order to make a better Europe for our citizens. Establishing a special taskforce between the two EPP Groups (European Parliament and European Committee of the Regions) would be key to find solutions for implementing the RFF and tackling the challenges ahead. This will involve in the future working closely with José Manuel Fernandes MEP and the EPP Group Coordinator for Budgets as well as Jan Olbrycht MEP, Vice-Chair of the EPP Group in the European Parliament.