She also said that the restructuring program proposed by the government and Ukrainian investors will most likely be approved by the European Commission.

Though Poland celebrated the 20th anniversary of its first semi-free elections last week – an event that largely occurred due to the efforts of the Solidarity movement which traced its beginnings to the Gdańsk shipyard – Kroes said the decision was not connected to the event.

“It would be stupid to say that I haven’t heard of the June 4 anniversary,” Kroes said during a press conference held in Brussels with Polish Treasury Minister Aleksander Grad. “But I assure you, it’s an absolute coincidence that we now positively assess the plan for the Gdańsk shipyard.”

Grad presented the final details of the rescue plan to the commission last week. The plan also addressed the topic of the shipyard’s restructuring financed by Ukrainian firm ISD, which holds a 90 percent share in the shipyard. Grad also said that the shipyard would maintain a high production capacity.

As a result of the talks, the company will not have to return the zł.700 million of public aid.
Kroes said that only formalities remain. “After what I heard today, I am confident that our final decision will be positive.”