Over 200,000 Polish projects co-funded by EU since 2004: gov’t minister

The total value of projects co-funded by Brussels nationwide over the past 15 years has come to PLN 675 billion (EUR 157 billion, USD 176 billion), Poland’s Investment and Development Minister Jerzy Kwieciński said on Monday.

He was speaking as his country prepares to mark the 15th anniversary of its EU entry.

Thanks to it being a member of the European Union, Poland has become a completely different country, Kwieciński said, as quoted by public broadcaster Polish Radio’s IAR news agency.

He added that joining the EU has had both a symbolic and an economic dimension for Poland, leading to a wide stream of EU funds flowing into the country.

Poland has received some EUR 163 billion from the European Union during the 15 years it has been a member of the bloc, while paying around EUR 53 billion into EU coffers, according to a report.

As Poland prepares to mark 15 years since joining, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki has said in a media interview that his country has "benefitted greatly from EU membership in terms of the economy."

Meanwhile, Poles are among the most pro-EU nations in the bloc, which their country joined on May 1, 2004.

(gs/pk)

Source: IAR