European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen (right) and Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk give a statement as they meet at the Chancellery of the Prime Minister in Warsaw, Poland, Feb 23, 2024. (PHOTO / AP)

WARSAW - The European Commission (EC) is set to release up to 137 billion euros ($148 billion) of funding for Poland, EC president Ursula von der Leyen said on Friday.

The funding, under the European Union's post-pandemic recovery package, was frozen by the EC over rule of law concerns.

The EC said the previous government of Poland, which was in power from 2015 to 2023, brought Polish courts and judges under political control and undermined democratic checks and balances. A series of clashes were triggered between Warsaw and Brussels, which prompted the EC to hold back billions of euros of recovery funding from Poland

At a joint press conference with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk in Warsaw, von der Leyen praised Poland's efforts to restore the rule of law in the country, saying the EC will next week table decisions releasing the money. "We are impressed by your efforts and those of the Polish people to restore the rule of law as the backbone of your society," she said.

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According to national radio station Radio Poland, earlier this week the country's Justice Minister Adam Bodnar attended a meeting of the European Union's (EU) General Affairs Council in Brussels, where he laid out a plan to reverse a massive legal overhaul carried out by Poland's previous Law and Justice (PiS) government.

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The EC said the previous government of Poland, which was in power from 2015 to 2023, brought Polish courts and judges under political control and undermined democratic checks and balances. A series of clashes were triggered between Warsaw and Brussels, which prompted the EC to hold back billions of euros of recovery funding from Poland.

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Poland's new pro-EU government led by Tusk has pledged to restore judicial independence and persuaded Brussels into releasing the funds.