The previous nationalist Law and Justice (PiS) cabinet carried out a deep overhaul of the judiciary, which the EU and international watchdogs said damaged democratic checks and balances.

New pro-EU Prime Minister Donald Tusk has vowed to restore the rule of law and get the funds released. But he faces resistance from supporters and allies of the former ruling party, who include President Andrzej Duda and some high-profile judges.

Reynders said during a joint press conference with Polish Justice Minister Adam Bodnar he hoped the European Commission would soon be able to approve the first application for EU funds from Poland.

A senior official in the new Polish government told Reuters before the briefing the cabinet hopes some of the issues can be addressed without passing new laws which could be vetoed by Duda.

"We are completely relaxed that it is all going in the right direction," the official said. "Politically, we have it agreed with the Commission that some things will be addressed without new laws."

Asked about this possibility, Reynders said that in the case Duda vetoed new laws, Brussels and Warsaw would have to see what they could do about EU funds.

"...we remain in dialogue with the European Commission, we are taking further steps to achieve milestones...we are primarily interested in restoring the rule of law for citizens," Bodnar said.

On Friday, PiS lawmakers said they had asked for a vote of no-confidence in Bodnar.

Tusk met the EU's chief executive in December and announced that the bloc would transfer a first 5 billion euros ($5.5 billion) of aid.

This money comes free of the EU's usual rule of law conditions and is part of Poland's 60-billion-euro chunk of the bloc's COVID recovery stimulus.

Reyders had said in December that Poland needed "some time" to improve the independence of the judiciary so the European Union can disburse more funds.

(Reporting by Anna Wlodarczak-Semczuk in Warsaw and Gabriela Baczynska in Brussels; Additional reporting by Anna Koper and Alan Charlish; Editing by Nick Macfie)