Government spokesman Piotr Müller said that Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki "has already submitted an official request to the EU" and that "it will be one of the main points on the agenda when the European Council meets for a summit in late May.”
Asked in a media interview if Poland was pushing for financial assistance from Brussels, Müller said the government was holding talks with top EU officials, including the head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and the president of the European Council, Charles Michel.
EU states 'should make joint response’
“We realise that procedures are time-consuming but we won’t budge on this matter because we believe all EU countries should make a joint response,” Müller told public broadcaster Polish Radio.
He noted that the EU had assisted Turkey when that country was dealing with a wave of refugees.
No plans to ask for suspension of Poland’s payment to EU budget: PM's aide
Meanwhile, Morawiecki’s top aide Michał Dworczyk said Poland was not planning to suspend its contributions to the bloc’s budget.
Such a move was suggested last week by Justice Minister Zbigniew Ziobro, who leads the Polish ruling coalition’s junior partner United Poland.
Ziobro proposed that Poland ask Brussels for a partial or total suspension of its contribution to EU coffers due to an influx of people displaced by Russia’s war on Ukraine.
Dworczyk told private broadcaster Polsat News on Thursday: “Poland is a responsible member state of the EU. We fulfil our obligations and we want treaties to be complied with.”
He added: “At the moment, there is no such idea on the table.”
Thursday is day 71 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Poland on Thursday reported it had welcomed more than 3.16 million refugees fleeing Russia’s war on Ukraine.
(pm/gs)
Source: IAR, PAP