Poland secures total of PLN 97 bln under recovery fund; another tranche expected in summer
Poland has contracted PLN 97 billion (EUR 22.9 bln) within the national recovery plan KPO - both in the grant and loan parts, development funds and regional policy minister Katarzyna Pelczynska-Nalecz told a conference. She added that Poland is expecting another tranche of EU funds under KPO in the summer.
"We have contracted close to PLN 100 billion from the KPO, PLN 97 billion to be exact, we have over 750,000 signed contracts," Pelczynska-Nalecz said.
"This year, we are expecting the fourth and fifth payments, we will be completing this revision and carrying out another revision, and we will be submitting at least one application for payment, and most probably two applications," she added.
The development funds minister continued that the entire pool of the KPO grant funds (over PLN 100 billion or EUR 23.6 bln) is already in competitions.
"We submitted the fourth and fifth applications [for payment - PAP ed.] at the end of last year and immediately entered the revision (...) At the time of the revision, we can't get the funds because these are the rules of KPO," Pelczynska-Nalecz pointed out.
"Now we want to finish this revision in June and therefore, we expect to receive the funds in the summer," she replied when asked about the potential date of the next inflow of EU funds under Poland's recovery plan.
The head of the MFiPR stressed that KPO is being revised and updated in line with investment needs in Poland, an example of which is the expected subsidy for the replacement of tachographs.
"Today, we have very good information for the Polish transport industry. There is a preliminary decision of the European Commission regarding approval and financial support for the replacement of new generation tachographs," said Poland's infrastructure minister Dariusz Klimczak, who joined the conference.
He added that Polish hauliers had been calling for this for a long time.
The development funds minister specified that the exchange would be implemented under the grant part of KPO.
"The financial scope is still being negotiated. However, we know that these will not be small funds. These will be funds sufficient for more than 100,000 subsidies," she pointed out.
Klimczak, in turn, stressed that the infrastructure ministry cares above all about the small and medium-sized enterprise sector.
"The German example proves that it is worth conducting negotiations with the European Commission very sensibly and in detail, so as to avoid mistakes made by other countries," the minister said, referring to the negative decision of EC regarding tachographs for Poland's western neighbour.
"We want this co-financing not to raise any doubts on the side of the institutions that implement and control this project," Klimczak stressed.
In his opinion, although "all options are still open", Poland is in the final stage of negotiations with the EC on co-financing the exchange of tachographs and can inform entrepreneurs from the transport sector to prepare for the competition stage, which will most probably begin in autumn this year.
Poland can receive a total of EUR 59.8 billion from the national recovery plan KPO, including EUR 25.27 billion in grants and EUR 34.54 billion in preferential loans.
jz/ ao/