Polish Ambassador urges 1m Poles in the UK back to Poland
Meanwhile, the EU just used more UK taxpayer money to subsidise Poland — again
Poland has received £173bn ‘Cohesion’ money in the 15 years since it joined the EU
Yesterday the Polish Ambassador to the UK, Arkady Rzegocki, wrote to all Poles living in the UK, warning them about their post-Brexit status and saying
“I also encourage you to seriously consider the possibility of returning to Poland”
This follows the EU’s announcement on Friday that a further 2/3rds of a billion euros is to be given to Poland. This is on top of the €193 billion (c. £173bn GBP) it has already been allocated in Cohesion funding by the EU since becoming a member.
Since it joined the EU in 2004, Poland has been subsidised by more of British taxpayers’ money via the EU than any other country. Here is what the EU Commission says“Poland is the biggest beneficiary of Cohesion Policy funds. Since the country joined the EU in 2004, Cohesion Policy has financed 12,200 km of new or upgraded road, access to broadband for 9.1 million people and the creation of 151,000 jobs.“In the next long-term EU budget, Poland will continue to be the biggest beneficiary of Cohesion Policy funds, under which the Commission is proposing to invest more than €72 billio- EU Commission press release, 13 Sep 2019
In the current EU budgeting period alone, 2014–2020, Poland has been allocated ‘Cohesion Policy’ subsidies of €86 billion (approx £77 billion GBP).
The latest tranche of funding announced by the EU on Friday, ahead of the Polish Ambassador’s letter to Poles living in the UK, comes to another €676 million (c. £604 million GBP). The EU Commission says that this is for “modernising the Polish rail and road network and increasing travel safety while reducing costs and travel time”.
Firstly, readers will agree that Polish people who have chosen to make their lives in the UK must be made to feel entirely welcome to stay, after Brexit.
They entered the country lawfully, and a great many are in employment and are paying taxes.
The reason that this article is about Poland is because of the Polish Ambassador’s letter to UK-based Poles yesterday, which in turn follows the EU Commission’s announcement on Friday of the approval of another 2/3rds of a billion euros to improve the country’s roads and railways. Poland has been the biggest beneficiary of EU ‘Cohesion Policy’ funding since it joined the EU 15 years ago.
I continue to doubt that the average British person understands that the EU operates as a great wealth transference scheme, taking money from countries like the UK and giving it to countries like Poland, badged as ‘EU funding’.
It is little wonder that the average Pole is pro-EU. With the EU’s largesse in using the money from British taxpayers to subsidise all manner of expenditure in their own country, the Poles would be mad to be anything else.
Sources: EU Commission
