Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said the day Poland secured some EUR 106 billion in the new 2014-2020 EU budget deal was one of the happiest days of his life adding that his country will remain the main beneficiary of the EU.

Tusk said that though the newly agreed EU budget shrank by EUR 38 billion compared to the current one, Poland would be receiving EUR 4 billion more.

EU leaders agreed Friday to limit the bloc‘s spending commitments to EUR 960 billion during the next seven years under pressure from Germany, U.K. and the Netherlands. This was the first reduction in the EU´s history. Despite cuts, Poland will receive more money from Brussels in the coming years – EUR 106 billion, including EUR 72.9 billion in Cohesion Policy funds, compared with EUR 102 billion in the current budget.

Poland will receive EUR 28.5 billion in Common Agricultural Policy payments, Tusk said. Direct payments to Polish farmers will be maintained at the current level due to flexibility in allocating CAP funds, the PM said. The loss of development funds for rural areas will be offset by more funds directed to such areas from cohesion funds, he said.

Poland also secured EU consent for subsidies to cover VAT cost of projects for NGOs and local governments, Tusk said.
Poland´s government members are highly satisfied with the compromise.

Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski wrote on Twitter: “Congratulations. This is a historic moment.”
Polish President Bronislaw Komorowski called the budget a success for Poland. "With this huge amount of money not only our children and grandchildren, but also we ourselves have the chance to see the moment when Poland is a better and more prosperous country," he said.

EU Budget Commissioner Janusz Lewandowski told PAP Polish news agency that Poland and Slovakia are the only EU countries for which funds were increased. However, in his interview for TV broadcaster TVN 24 on Saturday he said that, although the EU budget deal was good for Poland, it was not really for Europe, adding that negotiations in the European Parliament might be tough when it comes to ratifying the new EU budget.