Polish Cities To Switch Off Street Lights To Protest Gov't Decision To Veto EU Budget

WARSAW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 02nd December, 2020) A number of Polish cities will turn off street lights on Tuesday evening in protest against the government's plans to veto the EU's new long-term budget.

According to the official Twitter account of Poland's southern city of Krakow, from 5 p.m. local time (16:00 GMT), the local authorities will turn off the lights on All Saints' Square and the illumination of the Wielopolski Palace for an hour. By vetoing the budget, the country will lose huge funds from the bloc aimed at restoring the economy after the pandemic, the local authorities said.

In Kielce, the lights will be switched off at five facilities, which were established or reconstructed with EU funds. According to city Mayor Bogdan Wenta, development will not be possible without European funds.

Among other cities to join the protest are Warsaw and Gdynia.

The European Union has so far failed to unanimously approve the new seven-year budget and continues discussions to find a final solution. European Council President Charles Michel said on November 19 that the position of a number of EU countries did not allow the new multi-year financial plan to be finalized.

Earlier in November, Poland and Hungary vetoed the 1.8 trillion euro ($2.1 trillion) long-term EU budget, as well as the coronavirus recovery package, as they opposed the budget law clause that ties the availability of the money to the rule of law and respect for democratic standards in recipient countries. Both countries are under the formal EU process over concerns for judicial independence there.