The Ukraine Recovery Conference (hereafter referred to as “URC2024”) with the participation of Deputy Minister Jan Szyszko yielded important outcomes It gave rise to an international coalition to support urban centres in Ukraine. The Ministry of Development Funds and Regional Policy joined its ranks. Bank Gospodarstwa Krajowego entered into an agreement with the European Commission to increase its funding from the Ukraine Facility.

The amendment to the Act on the Principles of Development Policy, adopted by the Sejm on 15 May this year, once effective, will be the basis for the implementation of the Social Climate Fund. It will help households, small businesses and transport users that are most vulnerable to energy poverty. The announcement was made at the Sejm by the Minister for Development Funds and Regional Policy, Katarzyna Pełczyńska-Nałęcz.

The European Union's cohesion policy is the “catalyst for European integration” and the Union's main investment policy, strengthening the competitiveness of the single market and creating a level playing field for the sustainable development of all Member States. This position was advocated by the ministers of Poland, Czechia, Slovakia and Hungary in the Joint Declaration they signed today in Prague with the ministers of Romania, Bulgaria, Slovenia, Croatia and the Baltic States.

'EUR 175 billion received from the EU over the last 20 years to support the development of the Polish economy; a six-fold increase in Polish exports, including a 10-fold increase in agricultural exports – this is the outcome of Poland's 20 years in the EU,' the Minister for Funds and Regional Policy Katarzyna Pełczyńska-Nałęcz said today. The Minister inaugurated the public awareness and information campaign Good To Be Together in connection with the 20th anniversary of Poland's membership of the EU. Hundreds of events will be held across the country to mark the occasion.

On 15 April, PLN 27 billion covered by the first payment request under the National Recovery Plan (NRP) was received from the European Commission. 'This is the largest single transfer that has come from the European Union to Poland during our 20-year membership,' said Minister of Funds and Regional Policy Katarzyna Pełczyńska-Nałęcz.

Today, the Sejm adopted the Act on ensuring that business entities meet accessibility requirements for certain products and services, known as the Polish Accessibility Act. The regulation, prepared by the Ministry of Development Funds and Regional Policy, transposes the Directive on the accessibility requirements for products and services, known as the European Accessibility Act (EAA) into Polish law. Thanks to its provisions, people with special needs will have easier access to the most common products and services such as computers, phones, tablets, e-books, e-commerce, and digital information services in passenger transport.

The European Commission has completed the written procedure finally approving the disbursement of the first tranche of money from the National Reconstruction Plan to Poland. By mid-April, we should have PLN 27 billion to invest in the development of the whole country.

Examples of activities for which SMEs will be able to receive funding include expansion of the range of services in a hotel, furnishing or expanding a café or a restaurant. Micro, small and medium-sized companies will be able to apply for non-repayable grants from the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRP). The rules for recruitment to the programme were announced today by Deputy Ministers Jan Szyszko in Zielona Góra and Jacek Protas in Krakow.

We have fulfilled all the conditions and milestones, thanks to which the European Union has unblocked European Funds for Poland, i.e. PLN 600 billion from the National Recovery Plan and the Cohesion Policy; we have invested about PLN 1.5 billion from the NRP and about PLN 20 billion from the Cohesion Policy; we have sent the first application for the payment of PLN 31 billion under the NRP to Brussels; we have launched several hundred calls for projects under national and regional programmes; we have prepared the revision of the NSP – these are the main results of the first 100 days in the Ministry of Development Funds and Regional Policy.

‘On 15 March this year, we are launching a public consultation on the revision of the National Recovery Plan. This is the result of the review of reforms and investments under the NRP, which the Ministry has been working on since January. We proposed changes to 11 reforms and 22 investments. Our aim is for the NRP to be an investment for many generations, with maximum value for money for Polish public finances and the budget, and to support the most vulnerable with this great change,’ the Minister for Development Funds and Regional Policy, Katarzyna Pełczyńska-Nałęcz, emphasised.