Pszczyna (Silesia), one of the most polluted municipalities in Poland, will see from 16 April this year anti-smog pilot programme implemented by the National Fund for Environmental Protection and water Management, which will be the second initiative of this kind after the programme announced two days ago for the Zachodniopomorskie Voivodeship. The total amount of PLN 6 million was allotted to the replacement of old furnaces and for the thermal modernisation of multi-family residential buildings (3-20 flats). Additional funds will be directed to the municipality for information and promotion activities.

“We need to popularise direct contact between the public and the Forest Services, while promoting the benefits of sustainable forest management. Making the forests more accessible to the general public is conducive to communication and information activities,” the Vice-Minister of Climate and Environment pointed out during the Forest Europe Ministerial Conference.

The government wants to extend the existing state aid schemes for renewable energy generators. Thanks to the amendment, it will be possible to extend the auction aid scheme until 31 December 2027. Provisions have also been introduced to limit the concession obligations for commercial operators in respect of small RES installations.

The Ministry of Climate and Environment strongly opposes the dissemination of fake news concerning the alleged new law prohibiting subsidies for the waste management system by the Capital City of Warsaw.

“According to the recently adopted Energy Policy of Poland until 2040, the first Polish offshore wind power plant will be launched in 2025. However, according to the document, in 2030 the installed wind farm capacity will reflect around 5.9 GW,” said Minister Michał Kurtyka during the debate on offshore which took place on 25 March 2021.

The implementation of the energy transition with the simultaneous reduction of its negative impact on citizens, is the main objective of the actions carried out by the International Energy Agency Global Commission on People-Centred Clean Energy Transitions. The first meeting of the commission held on 15 March 2021 was chaired by Dan Jørgensen, Danish Minister of Climate, Energy and Utilities. During the meeting, Polish Minister of Climate and Environment, Michał Kurtyka, presented the social context of Poland’s transition toward a low-carbon economy.

Polish and Lithuanian cooperation in the field of energy is the main subject of talks at the meeting of Minister of Climate and Environment, Michał Kurtyka, with the Lithuanian Minister of Energy Dainius Kreivys. The event, which took place on 12 March 2021, was also attended by the Government Plenipotentiary for Strategic Energy Infrastructure, Piotr Naimski, and the Deputy Minister for Climate and Environment, Adam Guibourgé-Czetwertyński.

Poland is fully implementing the 2018 CJEU judgment. Signing a new annex to the forest management plan for the Białowieża Forest District is the only legally possible form of replacing the existing annex. It will enable active protection of valuable habitats and species in line with the guidelines of the European Commission and UNESCO.

Polish-Japanese cooperation in the energy sector is one of the topics of the on-line investment conference “Why Poland now? Attractive destination for energy and infrastructure projects”, organized by the Polish Investment and Trade Agency and the Polish Embassy in Tokyo. The event, which took place on 3 March 2021, was attended by Michał Kurtyka, Minister of Climate and Environment.

The Ministry of Climate and Environment, together with the Chief Environmental Protection Inspectorate, and with the support of the Ministry of Justice, has developed a proposal to strengthen criminal legislation on environmental crime.