When the National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management (NFOŚiGW) was established, people talked about an ecological crisis in Poland. For example, in 1989 nearly 100 percent of municipal waste in Poland was disposed of in landfills, and more than 70 percent of municipal sewage was discharged to rivers and lakes. The establishment of the National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management 30 years ago opened a new chapter in the history of Polish ecology.

Throughout the three decades of its activity, the National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management has earmarked nearly 96 billion zlotys on improving the condition of natural environment in Poland. More than half of this amount (50.9 billion) came from the national budget, while the remaining part (45 billion) constituted foreign financial support, particularly the EU Operational Programmes Infrastructure and Environment. 30 years of the National Fund’s activity resulted in concluding more than 31,000 contracts for the implementation of projects in the field of water, soil, air and nature protection, as well as municipal management, waste management and environmental education with various beneficiaries.

The activity of the Fund constitutes a tangible support for the sustainable development of Poland. It is an important pillar of financing green investments, which serve to improve the condition of the environment in Poland, and thus translate into the quality of life of its inhabitants, Minister Henryk Kowalczyk highlighted.

Among the examples of the results of water and sewage management projects carried out with the support of the National Fund in 1989-2018 is the construction or overhaul of more than 1,600 sewage treatment plants and over 83,000 kilometres of sewage systems. The subsidies (from EU and national funds) amounted to 33.6 billion zlotys in total, with the total value of projects amounting to nearly 87 billion zlotys. All these activities contributed to the implementation of the National Municipal Sewage Treatment Programme.

Thanks to the financial support of the National Fund, 7 municipal waste incineration plants with a capacity of 1.1 million tonnes per year were built, and the weight of waste recovered (including via recycling) increased to 5.4 million tonnes per year.

Moreover, thanks to the projects co-financed by the National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management, SO2 emissions were reduced by 800,000 tonnes per year, particulate matter emissions went down by 260,000 tonnes and CO2 emissions were reduced by 14.8 million tonnes. The impact of the fund on the environment and energy system also encompasses the production of energy from renewable energy sources, amounting to 2.1 TWh per year, as well as energy savings of 3.4 TWh per year. These are just a few examples of how the activities subsidised by the National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management serve the environment and citizens of Poland.

New challenges for the National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management

Currently, the National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management takes part – alongside Regional Funds for Environmental Protection and Water Management and the Environmental Protection Bank – in the Clean Air Programme.

“With the knowledge and experience gained thanks to previous projects, the Fund takes up new challenges. One of them is the Clean Air Programme with a budget of 103 billion zlotys. These funds will be used over the course of a decade for thermal modernisation of single-family houses as well as replacing heat sources, which will translate into reduction of the so-called low emissions. Thanks to this, we will all be able to breathe cleaner air,” said Minister Kowalczyk.

Cooperation between the National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management and various regional funds is also extended through other programmes, such as the National Energy Advisory System, Reduction of Energy Consumption in Construction, National Rescue Services Financing Programme, National Programme for Environmental Regeneration of Soils by Liming, as well as Removal of Agricultural Foils and Other Agricultural Waste.