We want to strengthen the three development pillars. The first pillar consists of the Polish wind power plants in the Baltic Sea, for which we can spend more than PLN 20 billion, with the key investment being the Polish installation terminal in Gdansk. The second pillar is food security for Poles, where we are increasing the support pool by PLN 2.5 billion up to PLN 15 billion. The third development pillar is the new Clean Air and Green Deal, which is designed not for ideological reasons or for the European Union but first and foremost for Polish women and men. This means that resources are needed to support the most vulnerable who live in older homes that need to be insulated. To provide heat insulation of multi-family houses, we are increasing the pool by PLN 600 million,

Minister for Development Funds and Regional Policy Katarzyna Pełczyńska-Nałęcz said at a press conference. The Minister outlined the scope of the changes to the NRP and the main objectives of its revision.

The NRP aims to prepare Poland and its economy for the challenges of 2050. This includes increasing the competitiveness of Polish companies and making the quality of life equal across big cities, towns and rural areas. This plan is supposed to benefit all Poles, which is why we want to consult and evaluate it as widely as possible. Hence, we are launching a public consultation on the NRP changes, which will last a month,’ Deputy Minister for Development Funds and Regional Policy Jan Szyszko emphasised.

Main changes to the NRP

The MDFRP proposes to revise 11 out of 55 reforms (8 from the grant part and 3 from the loan part) and 22 out of 56 investments (14 from the grant part and 8 from the loan part of the NRP).

It is not a small change, but is absolutely necessary. It will offset the losses that result from the delay of the NRP. The changes will be much more beneficial for public finances and will strengthen the directional development lines that we want to pursue in this great investment plan,

Minister K. Pełczyńska-Nałęcz explained.

According to the draft revision:

• 1 billion 113 million euro (approx. PLN 4.8 billion) to support the development of a low-carbon economy will be transferred to the loan part from the funds released in the grant part:

      - EUR 140 million (approx. PLN 600 million) for thermal insulation improvements in multi-family buildings;

      - EUR 600 million (around PLN 2.5 billion) to build food security and shorten the supply chain for agri-food products, as well as Agriculture 4.0, where individual farmers, small and medium-sized entrepreneurs in the processing sector and large storage and distribution centres will receive support;

      - EUR 493 million (approximately PLN 2.1 billion) to equip schools/institutions with ICT equipment and infrastructure;

• EUR 150 million will be transferred from the loan part and, with an increased budget of up to EUR 300 million (approx. PLN 1.3 billion), will be used for investments in long-term and geriatric care in district hospitals.

Main changes to the reforms proposed in the review

As part of the revision, the MDFRP proposed to remove the milestone involving the introduction of a tax on the ownership of internal combustion vehicles in Poland in line with the 'polluter pays' principle.

The change in the implementation of planning and zoning reform will be to replace the adoption of zoning plans with their preparation and publication in the Public Information Bulletin.

In addition, we presented changes to the description of the milestone referring the entry into force by the end of 2024 of the law that will ensure the reform of the long-term care system in Poland. This refers to an increased labour market participation of certain groups through the development of long-term care. This is to be in line with actionable recommendations developed by experts from the World Bank.

The NRP revision is intended to enable the effective implementation of reforms and investments in the component aimed at increasing the efficiency, accessibility and quality of health services. According to the plan, an act of the Minister of Health with a list of criteria for qualifying hospitals for the different levels of oncology care within the National Cancer Network will come into force by mid-2024.

The National Cardiac Network regulation will come into force by the end of 2024.
A legislative package that will improve the efficiency of hospitals will come into force by mid-2026.

As regards environmentally friendly transport, the revision draft proposes to stagger the purchase of zero-emission buses by operators and public transport organisers in cities with more than 100,000 inhabitants until 2030.

Postponement of reforms

The revision suggests to postpone reforms such as:

• improving the situation of parents in the labour market by increasing access to quality childcare for children up to the age of three;
• improving the cyber security of information systems;
• improving the efficiency, accessibility and quality of health services;
• creating conditions for the development of the medication and medical device sector;
• increased use of environmentally friendly transport;
• increasing the share of zero- and low-emission transport, preventing and reducing the negative environmental impact of transport.

Changes to the investment scope, description and timing

The draft revision also includes proposals to change the scope and description of investments such as:

• implementation of the planning and zoning reform;
• construction of offshore terminal infrastructure;
• replacing heat sources and improving energy efficiency in residential buildings;
• the development and modernisation of the infrastructure of highly specialised care centres and other healthcare providers;
• accelerating digital transformation processes in healthcare by further developing digital health services;
• developing the potential of the medication and medical device sector – investments related to the production of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) in Poland;
• zero- and low-emission public transport, railways, and intermodal projects.

There are also changes regarding the value of investment indicators (e.g. support for farmers, culture, development of medical research and rail transport).

The review also includes proposals to postpone the following investments:

• implementation of the planning and zoning reform;
• investments to support the reform of labour market institutions;
• investments in the neutralisation of threats and regeneration of large-scale degraded brownfield sites and the Baltic Sea;
• developing the potential of the medication and medical device sector – investments related to API production in Poland.

Action plan for NRP revision

The legal basis for the revision of the NRP consists of Article 21(1) of Regulation 2021/241 concerning the possibility of amending the EU Council’s implementing decision approving the NRP in the light of objective circumstances that prevent the achievement of particular milestones and indicators.

The public consultation on the draft revision will last one month, i.e. until 15 April 2024.

More information on what documents we are putting out to public consultation and a form to submit comments can be found here.

In addition, a public hearing will be held on 8 April this year, in which everyone will be able to express their opinions, make comments or suggest changes.

On 18 April this year, the NRP Monitoring Committee will meet for its third meeting during which the public consultation process will be discussed and the position of the government side on the comments and proposals regarding during the consultation for the NRP revision will be presented.

Adoption of the NRP amendments by the Council of Ministers is scheduled for 23 April this year.

The NRP revision will be officially sent to the EC in the last decade of April this year. The revised EU Council’s Executive Decision that will approve the changes to the NRP is scheduled for adoption by ECOFIN on 16 July this year.

NRP – 56 investments and 55 reforms

The National Recovery Plan for Poland covers 56 investments and 55 reforms. Their aim is to strengthen the Polish economy after the COVID-19 pandemic, steer it in a new direction and make it more resilient to any crisis.

We will receive EUR 59.8 billion (PLN 268 billion) from the NRP, including EUR 25.27 billion (PLN 113.28 billion) in grants and EUR 34.54 billion (PLN 154.81 billion) in preferential loans.

The changes proposed in the revision cover the five components of the NRP – resilience and competitiveness of the economy; green energy and reduction of energy intensity; digital transformation; efficiency, accessibility and quality of the health care system; and green, smart mobility. The components such as Improving the Quality of Institutions and Conditions for the Implementation of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan and REPowerUE will remain unchanged.

The proposed changes to the NRP refer to the scope of activity of eight ministries, i.e. the Ministry of Family and Social Policy, the Ministry of Digital Affairs, the Ministry of Economic Development and Technology, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Ministry of Infrastructure, the Ministry of Climate and Environment, the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage and the Ministry of Health.