Aid for entrepreneurs affected by the pandemic, Industrial Policy of Poland, Legal Shield, Housing Package, Tourist Voucher and initiation of labour market reform are some of the projects implemented in the Ministry of Economic Development, Labour and Technology led by Jarosław Gowin.

Plan for Labour and Economic Development

Deputy Prime Minister Jarosław Gowin was responsible for implementation of the Plan for Labour and Economic Development. It brings proven solutions, facilitations and new opportunities for business. It consist of three key areas:

• direct support - anti-crisis measures for enterprises, in particular from the SME sector, which found themselves in a difficult position as a result of the second wave of the epidemic
• new direction - comprehensive support for enterprises who decide to recreate themselves and need to adapt to changing market needs; the support also covers people who have lost their jobs and are looking for appropriate training or who have an idea for themselves and want to start a business.
• development impulse - a package of comprehensive solutions for businesses planning investments.

Each of them meets different needs – click here to learn more.

The Polish economy

Ministry of Economic Development, Labour and Technology led by Jarosław Gowin from the beginning of the pandemic has supported entrepreneurs. The package of laws supporting those affected by the pandemic has been adopted. In all editions of anti-crisis shield PLN 237 billion of financial aid has been granted. The Ministry has prepared industry shield for 65 sectors of Polish economy affected by subsequent lockdowns with over PLN 30 billion of aid.

In parallel with minimalizing pandemic results for Polish economy, under supervision of Deputy Prime Minister Gowin new Industrial Policy of Poland had been developed. Consultations od Export Policy assumptions have started.

Industrial Policy of Poland is a programme for industrial sectors that complements, by its sectoral approach, the existing Productivity Strategy. Within the framework of the new industrial policy, we defined precisely the problems and barriers of individual industries. We also proposed concrete solutions using legislative and institutional instruments.

In turn, Polish Export Policy is to define challenges faced by Polish export in post-covid world. It shall define consistent action of Polish administration to respond these challenges.

At the same time the Ministry of Economic Development, Labour and Technology has worked on Legal Shield, which is a deregulation package aimed at simplification of procedures and elimination of administrative and legal barriers for entrepreneurs and citizens.

In the Ministry has undertaken intense consultations of individual components of the National Recovery Plan. Key issues raised during those consultations concerned: reform towards digital and green economy, renewable energy installations implemented by energy societies and changes in labour market.

Labour

Employment service reform has begun in the past year. It was aimed at encouraging return to the labour market of unemployed and outside of the labour force. An important element of this project is improvement and full digitalisation of procedures connected with employment of foreign workforce. Key component of this reform is ensuring that as many Poles and foreigners working in Poland as possible raise their qualifications. This will allow them to meet requirements of digital and green transformation.

Construction, spatial planning and housing

The greatest successes of the Ministry led by Jarosław Gowin include introduction of so-called Housing Package. It is a set of measures to enhance access to flats for Poles. As a part of this Package, Social Housing Initiatives – entities building affordable flats for rent – are established throughout the country. Also a bill on housing voucher was submitted to the Chancellery of the Prime Minister which proposes financial support for those, who want to rent or buy a flat or family house or to build one.

Simultaneously intense work on spatial planning was undertaken, together with liberalisation of so-called distance act (concerning land wind farms), digitalisation of construction process and introduction of Polish real estate investment trusts.

Tourism

The main projects led by the Ministry of Economic Development, Labour and Technology led by Jarosław Gowin included Tourism Shield and Polish Tourism Voucher. Both of these instruments were aimed at minimizing consequences of the pandemic and support of Polish families and entrepreneurs.

Usign the voucher one can pay for tourist accommodation services or tour events in Poland till the end of March 2022. Until 11 August parents have activated almost 3 million vouchers and entrepreneurs received over PLN 1.5 billion. Altogether, PLN 4 billion is reserved for the implementation of the programme.

Tourism industry, severely affected by consequences of introducing COVID-19 restrictions, has gained possibility to use benefits including idle time benefit and suspension of social security contributions for the indicated activities in the area of tourism.

For tourists spending time in Poland, the Ministry of Economic Development, Labour and Technology has launched turystyka.gov.pl website and TurystykApp application. They contain e.g. list of legally operating tourist objects in Poland with details on their services, as well as list of tour leaders and tourist guides.

Jarosław Gowin

As the Minister of Economic Development, Labour and Technology he was responsible for the national economic policy - i.e. for entrepreneurship, industrial policy, innovation and technology, digital transformation, green economy and international economic relations. His tasks also included issues related to employment and prevention of unemployment; labour relations and labour conditions; remunerations and employee benefits; collective labour relations and disputes as well as trade unions and employer organisations. Another area included construction, land use and land management, housing and tourism.

As a Minister, he managed, among others: Public Procurement Office, Polish Agency for Enterprise Development, Central Office of Measures, Office of Technical Inspection, Polish Space Agency, Future Industry Platform Foundation, Polish Tourist Organisation, National Real Estate Stock, General Office of Building Control. He is responsible for the Central Registration and Information on Business, containing a registry of over 2.5 million businesses.

Jarosław Gowin was born on 4 December 1961 in Krakow. Between 2011 and 2013 he was the Minister of Justice, responsible for the deregulation act. Between 2015 and 2020, he was the Deputy Prime Minister, the Minister of Science and Higher Education. He has introduced the Constitution for Science, i.e. a great reform of higher education and science carried out on a basis of broad dialogue with the academic community, raises for academic staff and ground-breaking changes in training doctoral students; two acts on innovation, providing an impulse for R&D activity, as well as programmes facilitating dissemination of science for children and seniors. He started the Polish National Agency for Academic Exchange) and the Łukasiewicz Research Network.

In the 1980s he was a member of the Independent Students’ Association and “Solidarity.” A Cambridge university scholarship holder.

In 2003, he founded the Tischner European University in Krakow, where he held the position of a rector until 2013.

Senator of the 6th term. A member of the Science and Education Committee and the Local Government and State Administration Committee.

He has been a member of the Polish Parliament since 2007. Chairman of the United Right Parliamentary Club in the Sejm of the 7th term. He held the following functions during his term in the parliament: the chairman of the Team for the Bioethics Convention, the chairman of the extraordinary Committee for reviewing the draft acts on the amendment of the Polish Constitution and a member of the National Security Council.

An author of numerous books, journalistic articles, reviews and memoirs. He spends his free time in the mountains and reading books. His favourite actors are Wilhelm Röpke, Friedrich August von Hayek and Adam Smith. He particularly enjoys baroque music.

Married, father of three.