Local authorities in the Opole region, still struggling with the aftermath of last year’s devastating flood, have received letters informing them that they must withdraw their opposition to the establishment of centers for illegal migrants. Otherwise, previously granted funding for projects financed from EU funds will be revoked. We have documents that state this explicitly.
The Mayor of Brzeg, Violetta Jaskólska-Palus, received a letter from the Marshal of the Opole Voivodeship, Szymon Ogłaza, informing her that if the municipality does not withdraw its actions “aimed at preventing the creation of centers for illegal migrants within the municipality”, it should not expect EU funding.
The matter concerns the March 2025 decision of the Brzeg Municipal Council. Local officials supported a petition from residents opposing the creation of such a center. More than six months later, at the regional level, authorities concluded that the municipality’s decisions “are discriminatory in nature”. “Compliance with this principle is a condition for implementing fund programs”, the letter states.
Could these projects be halted?
“Once the matter is clarified by the relevant authority or institution, depending on the circumstances, all project expenditures may be declared ineligible, and the beneficiary may be required to return the disbursed funds with interest accruing from the day of their receipt”, it adds.
The letter specifies that the projects at risk concern:
- thermal modernization of public utility buildings in the municipality
- development of social services and support for dependent individuals, primarily seniors
- revitalization of public spaces
- revitalization of historic parks and gardens
- protection of biological diversity
“This is not blackmail, only information about the consequences”
The municipality of Brzeg was severely affected by a destructive flood that swept through Lower Silesia and the Opole region in early autumn 2024. Most of the damage caused by the flood will require costly reconstruction projects, which have still not been adequately funded by the state.
According to local media, the authorities of Lewin Brzeski received a similar letter. The municipality “needs money to rebuild after the last flood. The Marshal’s Office currently holds a request for 20 million PLN in funding. The money is intended for the reconstruction of two community centers and two roads. Another major application concerns 5 million PLN for the construction of a bicycle path. Some projects were submitted jointly with the county or neighboring municipalities. The case of Lewin Brzeski is also blocking the disbursement of funds to them”, writes Nowa Trybuna Opolska.
Both municipalities have already held emergency council meetings during which they rejected what they call the scandalous demands of the voivodeship marshal.
“This is not some form of blackmail, only information about the consequences of such actions”, Marshal Szymon Ogłaza explained during a regional council session. “The European Commission pays very close attention to the fact that any form of discriminatory acts may exclude a beneficiary from the possibility of receiving European funds. In every conversation with local officials, I emphasized that I do not interfere with the sovereign decisions of council members. I do not question them, it is not my role to assess these resolutions, I merely warn about the consequences”, he added.
Is the ‘financial starving of Poland’ now being put into practice?
It is worth recalling an interview given in 2020 to the broadcaster Deutschlandfunk by Katarina Barley, then Vice President of the European Parliament (PE) from the German Social Democratic Party (SPD). She called for greater pressure on Hungary and Poland to uphold the rule of law.
Her now iconic statement about “financially starving Poland” caused an uproar at the time. It later emerged that the original summary of the interview incorrectly attributed to Barley the words: “Countries such as Poland and Hungary must be financially starved because EU funds are an effective leverage”, for which the German broadcaster had to issue an explanation. In reality, Barley referred only to Hungary in this specific context, not Poland.
However, just a year later, in another media appearance, she spoke in favor of the European Commission taking immediate action to block EU funds for Hungary and Poland.
The current actions of overzealous officials suggest that they took her words to heart and decided to put them into practice.