Polish Justice Ministry’s delayed adjudication of the Justice Fund’s competition threatens to cut funding for victim‑support NGOs, with a statutory deadline pushed to January 31 and the four‑year aid programme ending on December 31.
What Is Happening With the Justice Fund?
The Ministry announced a delay in finalising the competition for Justice Fund allocations, which may result in NGOs that rely on this funding losing essential support from January 1, 2026. The four‑year aid programme ends on December 31, and a new competition—originally set to release results on December 6—has been postponed to January 31, according to Minister of Justice Waldemar Żurek.
Internal Review Stuck at Formal Verification Stage
Vice‑Minister Sławomir Pałka said the committee is still verifying applications for formal compliance, noting that all submissions contain some formal shortcomings but none are critical. He attributed this to stricter criteria, not to organizational deficiencies. Pałka explained that formal checks were delayed due to decision paralysis linked to concerns about officials’ conduct, and that some former colleagues now face accusations.
Ministry Tackling Former PiS‑Led Accounting
The Ministry’s delays are not caused by a lack of funds but by an overload of obligations from the ministry itself. It continues comprehensive audits and accounts of the Justice Fund during the period when it was headed by Zbigniew Ziobro and Marcin Romanowski, a scope that proved larger than initially anticipated.
Legal Proceedings Against Former Justice Minister Ziobro
A court will consider an arrest request against former Justice Minister Zbigniew Ziobro before Christmas. The National Prosecutor’s Office has gathered evidence suggesting that the PiS politician committed 26 acts of “exceeding authority and neglecting official duties,” with irregularities amounting to more than 280 million zlotys, as recorded by the Supreme Audit Office.
