At the meeting of the Committee for the Partnership Agreement 2021-2027, Minister of Development Funds and Regional Policy Katarzyna Pełczyńska-Nałęcz was seated at the table with Director of Implementation at the Directorate General for Regional and Urban Policy (DG REGIO) Emma Toledano-Laredo on her left, and Deputy Minister of Funds and Regional Policy Konrad Wojnarowski to her right.

The meeting was attended by the Minister of Development Funds and Regional Policy, Katarzyna Pełczyńska-Nałęcz, Deputy Minister Konrad Wojnarowski, as well as representatives of the European Commission, i.e. Director of Implementation at the Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy (DG REGIO) Emma Toledano-Laredo and Head of Unit for Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia at the Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion (DG EMPL) Muriel Guin.

‘Cohesion policy is an absolute cornerstone of European integration,’

Minister of Development Funds and Regional Policy Katarzyna Pełczyńska-Nałęcz said.

The Minister stressed that all European funds from the new EU financial perspective are at Poland’s disposal and we are on the way to implementing it.

Cohesion policy beyond 2027

The Committee meeting was also an opportunity to discuss the future of cohesion policy after 2027. Poland sees the need to strengthen the role of cohesion policy as a catalyst for structural changes in the EU, while maintaining a strong territorial focus and shared management, in line with the principles of partnership.

‘The European Union’s development goals must be in harmony with international challenges. Cohesion policy must be resilient to external and internal stresses,’

the Head of the MDFRP stressed.

The topic of a ‘renewed’ cohesion policy and its role in ensuring the cohesion of EU regions will be one of the guiding themes of Poland’s Presidency of the EU Council in the first half of 2025.

Implementation of programmes from the 2021-2027 perspective

As at 11 February this year, managing authorities have launched 1 081 calls for proposals since the beginning of the implementation of the current financial perspective of the European funds. Their budget amounted to PLN 153 billion.

Beneficiaries submitted 23,669 applications for funding. The selected projects have already been awarded funding and the agreements concluded represent a total of 12.6 per cent of the value of the European funds allocated to Poland. Some projects are already being settled.

Partnership Agreement Committee 2021-2027

Participants at the meeting also reviewed the activities of the sub-committees operating within the Committee to date.

The Partnership Agreement Committee 2021-2027 has an advisory and consultative function. It is composed of representatives of various ministries, central offices and institutions, local governments, social and economic partners, as well as those representing civil society and the scientific and academic communities.