Poland's President Andrzej Duda has signed a new "wind turbine law" and thus made the release of the billions from the Corona reconstruction fund for his country more likely. The EU Commission had declared a new law on wind turbines to be one of the "milestones" that would have to be fulfilled before the disbursement of the approximately 36 billion euros.

Gerhard Gnauck

Political correspondent for Poland, Ukraine, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, based in Warsaw.

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According to the previous standard of 2016, the construction of wind turbines was regulated more restrictively; according to the new law, the minimum distance between wind turbines and residential buildings must be only 700 meters. Representatives of wind power companies and the opposition wanted further liberalization, but failed in parliament. Furthermore, wind turbines may not be built in national parks and protected areas.

National conservative Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki called the new law a "compromise solution." Under the previous liberal government, which was in office until 2015, wind power was promoted too much, which is why the population "rebelled" and his party then pushed through a slowdown in wind turbine construction. The current new regulation gives "huge opportunities" for new onshore wind farms. In the Baltic Sea, they also want to build new wind farms, which should reach "at least six to seven gigawatts by 2030, 2031".

Constitutional Court blocks itself

Another milestone would be a law redefining the powers of the Supreme Court. In January, Parliament adopted a bill which, among other things, provided for the transfer of disciplinary proceedings at the Court of Justice, which could potentially be used to discipline "opposition" judges, to the Supreme Administrative Court. This "compromise" was intended to allay Brussels' fears about the rule of law. However, President Duda opposed this, calling the planned regulation unconstitutional and referring the draft to the Constitutional Court for review.

Actually, the Constitutional Court is dominated by judges close to the government, including the chairwoman Julia Przyłębska. Since December, however, it has been in a self-blockade. Some judges consider Przyłębska's term of office to have expired and are calling for a new election. The chairperson argues that she could remain in office until the end of 2024 because a different rule did not come into force until shortly after its establishment. Thus, the audit, on which billions of euros depend, cannot yet take place.

Duda's chief of staff, Paweł Szrot, said on Wednesday: "The president expects the Constitutional Court to overcome its internal dispute and take care of this matter." In addition, Duda has signed a new electoral law. It is intended to ensure more polling stations in rural areas. Critics suspected that the ruling PiS wanted to better mobilize its electorate. Szrot replied that the law was "pro-voter turnout" and should therefore be viewed positively.