ADVEReadNOWISEMENT
On Friday, the Onet.pl news website reported that a map appeared on the National Recovery Plan (NRP) website, showing companies that had received subsidies from the European Union.
What began as a simple publication online quickly sparked a dispute online, particularly on X, as users began to point out examples of alleged misallocations of EU funds. Politicians and the media subsequently commented on the matter, calling for answers. The expenditures of companies that received EU grants allegedly included company yachts, solariums, furniture, and coffee machines.
Poland qualified for almost €60 billion in funding from the EU’s Reconstruction and Resilience Fund. Such allocations were aimed at rebuilding member states’ economies after the COVID-19 pandemic.
In order to receive the funding, each EU country had to submit a National Recovery Plan (NERP) detailing how the funds would be spent to support post-pandemic economies.
Under the former Law and Justice (PiS) government, Poland’s access to funding was blocked by the EU due to a rule-of-law dispute between the bloc and its member state. Unblocking reconstruction funds was a key election promise made by Donald Tusk and his Civic Platform party ahead of the 2023 parliamentary elections.
Some €280 million was earmarked for the hospitality sector, which suffered heavy losses due to successive pandemic-related lockdowns. A dedicated website presented requests from businesses in the sector, but this service has since become unavailable. Nevertheless, media reports have emerged detailing how some of the money was spent, including on yachts, saunas, solariums, and furniture.
The issue of KPO aid to the hotel and catering industry was addressed by Prime Minister Donald Tusk during a speech given on Friday.
“I will not accept any waste of KPO funds” – said the Prime Minister.
Polish president’s reaction
Numerous politicians, from both the left and the right, quickly reacted to accusations of misallocation of funds, a number of politicians. Among them was the recently-inaugurated president of Poland, Karol Nawrocki.
“I am often asked by journalists where we should get the money for [my proposed programs]. Today is a very important day [regarding this matter]. We have found out how the NRP funds have been distributed in Poland. I do not want funds on behalf of 10.5 million Poles spent on saunas, solariums and coffee machines. I want funding for Polish families,” Nawrocki said during a speech on Friday.
The Regional Public Prosecutor’s Office in Warsaw has begun preliminary investigations into media reports of irregularities in the awarding of grants from the NRP. The President of the Polish Agency for Enterprise Development, Katarzyna Duber-Stachurska, was dismissed after doubts emerged about how EU funds were spent.
European Commission intervention
European Commission spokesman Maciej Berestecki stressed in an interview with Polish radio station RMF FM that “Poland is obliged to take clarifying action” on the awarding of KPO grants”.
Poland will now have to submit a payment request in November so that the European Commission can assess the projects’ compliance with the NRP criteria.
According to the Commission’s press service, “It is the duty of Member States to take all appropriate measures to protect the financial interests of the Union.”
The Commission has the possibility to intervene if the Polish authorities do not react appropriately, above all in situations of fraud. “If we see that this does not work, the European Public Prosecutor’s Office and OLAF [the Commission’s anti-fraud office] will step in,” they explained.