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Record EU Budget for Poland? Opposition Cools Government’s Enthusiasm: “Chainsaw Massacre”

In the proposal for the new EU budget, there are proportionally fewer funds for everything Poland has benefited from the most, as assessed by PiS MEP Piotr Müller. The politician also shared a video in which an outraged Chair of the Budget Committee, Johan Van Overtveldt, comments on the conduct of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

On Wednesday in Brussels, EU Budget Commissioner Piotr Serafin presented a proposal for the 2028–2034 EU budget amounting to €2 trillion. The draft includes, among other things, €300 billion for agriculture, €451 billion for the Competitiveness Fund, and €218 billion for less-developed regions.

“Poland, despite having developed very rapidly in recent years, and the same is forecast for the coming years, will remain the largest beneficiary of these national and regional partnership programs,” stated Serafin.

Following this announcement, his party colleagues were quick to congratulate him on the success. “Poland is the biggest beneficiary of the largest EU budget in history! According to the proposal, spending is increasing in areas that are priorities for Poland: security, cohesion, agriculture, but also innovation, key to building a strong economy. Congratulations to our Commissioner Piotr Serafin,” wrote Finance Minister Andrzej Domański online.

“Chainsaw Massacre”

The opposition does not share this enthusiasm. Former Agriculture Commissioner Janusz Wojciechowski, referring to changes in the Common Agricultural Policy, which farmers protested against in Brussels on Wednesday, said the budget had been “massacred with a chainsaw.”

“EU agricultural funds are to decrease from the current €58 billion to €43 billion annually. That’s €15 billion less each year in the pockets of EU farmers! And then there’s Ukraine, Mercosur… and the inability to offer national support, as the ‘wartime’ public aid, under which EU farmers received more than €10 billion (including over €4 billion to Polish farmers), ended in December 2024,” he pointed out.

“I cannot comprehend how such a catastrophic proposal could be signed off by a Polish budget commissioner, appointed to the Commission on the recommendation of the PO–PSL government,” he stated.

“A Budget Unfavourable to Poland”

The budget proposal was also addressed by MEP Piotr Müller. In a video shared online, he claims the European Commission’s plan allocates proportionally less funding for agriculture, “regional development – roads, kindergartens, nurseries – infrastructure.”

“In other words, everything that Poland has benefited from the most,” he said.

“In short, the new EU budget is unfavourable for our country, and it was supposed to be quite the opposite. Not long ago, Donald Tusk boasted that a Pole, Piotr Serafin, his close associate, had become Budget Commissioner. As it turns out, he doesn’t seem to be working in our interest, but rather to please Ursula von der Leyen, who presented a new budget concept that is disadvantageous for Poland,” Müller argued.

He added that the European Commission “has given itself the power to suspend the disbursement of financial funds at any moment.”

“Under the flimsiest of pretexts, they will decide whether to pay or suspend funds to a given country. This is how they intend to maintain control over national governments that oppose some of Brussels’ ideas,” he conveyed.

Von der Leyen’s Absence

Müller also reported an incident during the budget proposal announcement: Commission President Ursula von der Leyen did not appear in person. Instead, she held a separate press conference. Budget Committee Chair Johan Van Overtveldt did not hide his outrage at this behaviour.

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