On Thursday in Wrocław, representatives of the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland and Austria met with Ursula von der Leyen to find how rapidly to aid countries affected by the catastrophic flood.
It was decided that the aid would come from the Justice and Cohesion Fund. In order to get support from the former, the affected state must apply within 12 weeks of the disaster, and then wait a fewer weeks or even months to measure and propose the amount. The grant should be utilized within 18 months and unused appropriations reimbursed.
The fund was established in 2002 and was frequently criticized for protracted procedures that prevented fast assistance. This is why associate States can apply for an advance from 2014, which, however, must not exceed 25 % of the full amount of the grant, which in turn must not exceed EUR 100 million. With these measures – as von der Leyen said – the damaged infrastructure will be restored: roads, bridges, railway lines.
The second, much more abundant origin of aid is the Cohesion Fund, from which the Commission has decided to allocate EUR 10 billion to aid countries affected by floods. Half of this is going to get Poland.
The Cohesion Fund aims to align the levels of improvement of the associate States. Poland, which was to be its largest beneficiary between 2021 and 1927, threatened to never see €76,5 billion due to the demolition of the judiciary by the governments of the United Right. The measures were unlocked in February erstwhile the EC assessed that we were returning to the regulation of law, but due to procedural delays, it would be impossible to usage the full amount anyway.
Now 5 billion, which, as Prime Minister Tusk said, "theoretically were at our disposal", can be utilized "from now on, without unnecessary procedures". So, in fact, we would have recovered the money that might have been lost, due to the fact that due to the assassination of the regulation of law, we would not have spent it.
In view of the scale of the disaster, the Union will cover 100 percent of the reconstruction of the damaged infrastructure, alternatively than, as has been the case so far, only contribute to the reconstruction expenses incurred by the affected state. Moreover, Poland will first receive the money and spend it as it sees fit, and then it will settle.
The gathering in Wrocław besides brought the anticipation of flexibly shifting funds for reconstruction purposes after floods from another projects.
We're not alone.
Donald Tusk seems to be managing the crisis alone. In a dark shirt or a fleece, he visits the victims, congratulates the silent heroes, ore not adequate gnarly local governments, policemen and another services.
During the 2 PiS term, we saw this model of governance. Beata Szydło in boots whether Prime Minister Morawiecki in the green fleece arranged everything: after the catastrophic storm they visited the affected areas, visited farms, carried packages to apartments, welcomed a giant plane with bad masks.
They were close to people and they were authentic in that, although it was known that this was a PR action, to show that the state was not a well-oiled strategy of many levels, but a thoughtful host, a large animator who himself, personally, must pull all the strings, to call order, to decide on the spot.
The PiS thus built a clientelist arrangement, showing that the closer individual is to an crucial policy that ‘something can’, the better for him. And behind the scenes of this performance was the dismantling of civilian protection structures, which could act alone, alternatively than waiting for the approval “from above” by the fear of local decision-makers that they would be fucked if their decisions were incompatible with the image key of the ruling party. And besides the dismantling of the military structures from which they were leaving, as a consequence of these actions, experienced commanders, and all another institutions, which – as with the Oder disaster 2 years ago – proved to be ‘sleepy’, involuntarywaiting for the Prime Minister to come and tell them something.
The image, which, as the regulation of the Law and Justice continued, proved increasingly divergent with reality, superficial, unreliable.
Since the beginning of his term, Prime Minister Tusk has been everywhere, speaking on all issue, covering systemic shortcomings. He publically disciplined Minister Bondar, Minister Kosiniak-Kamish and many others. Sam is simply a spokesperson for his government, and possibly only he knows where we're going. He seems to have rather smoothly entered the function of predecessors.
With 1 distinct change. erstwhile Prime Minister Morawiecki or Beata Szydło faced adversity, their faces, in addition to compassion and determination, expressed anger, bitterness and resentment. They showed that we were brave, but alone, that we had to deal with ourselves and should not anticipate aid from nowhere. Tusk shows that, yes, we are very brave, but behind us, together, there are friends from the European Union, ready to come, with their own eyes to see the disaster. Friends who will refrain from moralizing and recalling the deficiency of Polish support for Green Deal or the Natural Resources Regulations, but first they will find a way to aid as rapidly as possible.
There are 2 questions left. One: is there a reconstruction of structures in the back of this one-man show that will be full competent and will not wait passively for the Prime Minister to arrive, afraid to act? I hope so. The Council of Ministers has just adopted a bill on civilian protection, which will now go to the Sejm. The task assumes greater competences of the self-government, i.e. shortening the way decisions are made.
The second question concerns the supervision of the state of the money for reconstruction, so that they do not go to absurd and harmful activities, specified as concreteisation of rivers or construction of flood sites, cut-outs of roadside trees. In the words of whether the state decides to rationally direct expenditure according to challenges, not just short-term logic, as was the case in the times of the Law and Justice, according to which it is essential to add to the loyal.
