• The draft bill allows for the suspension of the recovery of outstanding pre-financing and the exemption from liability for repayment of those beneficiaries who have been harmed by dishonest contractors.
• The condition for availing the possibility of suspending repayment is the initiation of criminal proceedings concerning an offence related to the performance of a grant agreement to the detriment of the beneficiary by the contractor, as well as the submission by the beneficiary of an application to the Voivodship Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management (VFEP&WM) for the suspension of repayment.
• Once a final court judgement has been handed down finding the contractor guilty, the beneficiary will be exempt from the obligation to repay the unsettled advance payment to the extent that the contractor was at fault.
• This is a response to the problems of families who, in good faith, granted power of attorney to companies that collected advance payments but did not complete or settle the investment.
• Before the 2025 reform, the Clean Air programme allowed for the development of aggressive sales techniques and unfair practices by some contractors, to the detriment of beneficiaries.
• Launched in March 2025, the new edition of the Clean Air programme limits the possibilities for abuse and is safe for beneficiaries.

Today, the Council of Ministers adopted a draft bill on assistance for those affected by the Clean Air programme – specifically, those who were defrauded by dishonest contractors who collected grants and disappeared without completing the work. The media have repeatedly featured stories of people whose money has gone missing, whilst home renovations or the replacement of old, polluting stoves with modern, zero-emission heating sources were never carried out. The bill allows the voivodship funds for environmental protection and water management to suspend the recovery of outstanding subsidies. This will be possible once the victim or their family files a report with the public prosecutor’s office. Once criminal proceedings have been initiated, the Voivodship Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management will be able, at the beneficiary’s request, to suspend repayment of the debt

– said Paulina Hennig-Kloska, Minister of Climate and Environment, during the conference.

At the beneficiary’s request, the relevant Voivodship Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management will be able to suspend repayment of the amount due. This will occur where criminal proceedings are initiated at the request of the beneficiary, the VFEP&WM or the National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management (NFEP&WM), or ex officio. Once a final court judgement has been handed down finding the contractor guilty, the beneficiary will be exempt from the obligation to repay the unsettled advance payment to the extent that the contractor was at fault. The competent voivodship fund for environmental protection and water management will, by operation of law, be entitled to seek repayment of the outstanding amount from the contractor.

I want to make it clear that this concerns a scheme whereby contractors defrauded the Clean Air Programme by collecting advance payments and then disappearing without carrying out the work. We estimate that up to 8,000 families were affected by this, having submitted applications between the introduction of pre-financing in July 2022 and the suspension of the programme in November 2024. Each of these stories is a human tragedy that demands a response. Ensuring the safety of beneficiaries has been our priority since the beginning of 2024. We suspended the programme, conducted a thorough overhaul of it, and launched a comprehensive audit of contractors and completed projects. Thanks to this decision and the implementation of additional safeguards, the security of families, pensioners and all those benefiting from the programme has genuinely improved

– added the Minister of Climate and Environment.

The amount of unsettled advance payments, including those unduly collected by contractors, stands at approximately PLN 285 million. It is estimated that the problem may affect more than 8,000 families.

Launched in March 2025, the new edition of the Clean Air Programme is safe for beneficiaries. The possibilities for dishonest practices have been limited. A key role is played by operators – municipalities and voivodship funds – whose task is to support beneficiaries at every stage of the process, from the decision to implement the investment, through the selection of an auditor and contractor, throughout the entire investment process, to the completion of the project and settlement of the subsidy.

The 15 October coalition government secured sources of funding for the Clean Air programme: PLN 7.9 billion from the European Funds for Infrastructure, Climate and Environment (FEnIKS) 2021-2027 programme; PLN 13 billion from the National Recovery and Resilience Plan; PLN 10 billion from the Modernisation Fund. The budget of over PLN 44 billion will allow the programme to be implemented soon.