Janusz Lewandowski

In an exclusive interview for Polish Radio’s English Service, the EU Commissioner for the Budget and Financial Programming is firmly against reducing the level of cohesion funding for Poland and other Central European countries.

Talking to Polish Radio reporter Michal Kubicki, Janusz Lewandowski said that “the EU was, is, and will be multi speed […], this is the reality of Europe.”

Commissioner Lewandowski also champions the EU’s cohesion policy and as such this will be present in forthcoming budget debates.

“There is still much to be done [...], but above all [with] equalisation of the living standards between east and west, therefore cohesion policy […] is the best mechanism of delivering these goals and should be defended,” Lewandowski told us. (jb)