Poland to receive 5 billion euros in EU green transition funds, says minister

FILE PHOTO: European flags fly outside the European Commission headquarters in Brussels, Belgium September 20, 2023. REUTERS/Yves Herman

WARSAW (Reuters) - The European Commission has recommended that 5 billion euros ($5.45 billion) in advance payments be released to Poland as part of the REPowerEU programme to aid energy transition and diversification away from Russian fossil fuels, a Polish minister said on Tuesday.

The funds are an addition to the 35.4 billion euros in grants and loans from the EU's COVID-19 recovery fund, which the bloc has suspended until Warsaw rolls back reforms that critics say undermine the independence of its judiciary system.