Polish EU Funds Minister, Katarzyna Pełczyńska-Nałęcz said that the ministry intends to shorten the decision-making process while maintaining „transparency and government control” in the process of redirecting the EU Cohesion Fund to aid the flood victims. 

„We are in the middle of the perspective when the review is made, and when we try to allocate available funds, which are added in the second part of the perspective,” said Minister Pełczyńska-Nałęcz.

The idea of redirecting funds was widely discussed as controversial because of the initial information that the European Commission was to assign new funds to aid Poland, Austria and the Czech Republic. The fact is that the aid funds will be taken from the budget that was already assigned to the CEE region countries. 

„In normal times, these funds would have gone down a pre-thought path. They would have gone to energy transformation, digitalisation and regional development alignment, but we are now creating a new priority – resilience and post-flood recovery,” she said.

„We also believe that the recovery should be accompanied by resilience,” the Minister said, saying that the ministry was ready to earmark PLN 3.5 billion (EUR 820 million) for the post-flood reconstruction plan. 

„The decision is in the hands of the infrastructure ministry and the State Water Holding Polish Waters,” the minister concluded. 

In another interview, Minister Pełczyńska-Nałęcz said she thinks the money earmarked for the 0% credit programme (widely criticised within the ruling coalition) could be also redirected for aid to the flood victims. 

Source: PAP

Tomasz Modrzejewski

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