Among other things the European Social Fund and the Just Transformation Fund were discussed during the meeting.

We are at the crucial point in the preparation of program documents for the 2021-2027 financial perspective. It is in the coming weeks that the final shape and form of support that will be financed under the programs implemented in Poland over the next few years will be decided,

said Grzegorz Puda, Minister of Development Funds and Regional Policy, opening the negotiation meeting.

The main topic of discussion was transfer between categories of regions under PA 2021-2027 and transfer between funds (ESF+ - SF) under PA 2021-2027, as well as the geographic scope and management model of the Just Transformation Fund. Participants discussed the status of preparation of regional programs (including implementation of the partnership principle) for 2021-2027.

Referring to the distribution of the second tranche of the REACT-EU instrument, Deputy Minister Waldemar Buda stressed that today's event was preceded by a number of meetings with the European Commission, thanks to which the Ministry of Development Funds and Regional Policy identified investment priorities that coincide with the EU vision in many places, including adjusting the distribution of allocations to finance investments in health care (7% of funding), low-carbon transport (27%), energy efficiency (34%) and digitalization (32%).

The meeting discussed the timetable for the negotiations of the draft Partnership Agreement, which would close in a series of 10 meetings and allow discussion on the scope of support in the various policy objectives, taking into account all parts of the PA and the issues that concern them, such as the justification for support, the scope of support, complementarity and demarcation or forms of support. One meeting will also be devoted to horizontal topics, such as financial matters, horizontal rules, information and promotion activities.

Our goal is to complete the work on the Partnership Agreement as soon as possible and to resolve basically all issues during the formal negotiation meetings. We hope to close the whole process of approval of the Partnership Agreement at the beginning of the second quarter of 2022,

added Deputy Minister Waldemar Buda.

The deputy head of the ministry, Waldemar Buda, upheld plans to transfer funds to the more developed region and transition regions, which will allow nationwide projects to be implemented in the field of science, or health care.

We intend to transfer EUR 4.1 billion, representing a total of 7.14% of the allocation. Our arguments and justification for the proposed transfer are based on a thorough analysis of the needs of our regions. At the same time, we made efforts to limit transfers between categories of regions to the necessary minimum,

Waldemar Buda said.

One of the priority points in terms of negotiating the Partnership Agreement is the plan for transferring funds between funds - from the European Social Fund Plus to the Cohesion Fund and between categories of regions.

We are requesting an inter-fund transfer of about EUR 2.98 billion, which is 20% of the ESF+ initial allocation; the proposed transfer is based on realistically assessed needs and challenges Poland is facing. The ESF+ allocation of EUR 11.6 billion will allow us to respond to the needs and maintain the scope of support for this fund at a level similar to the current one,

Deputy Minister Małgorzata Jarosińska-Jedynak noted.

Moreover, despite the transfer from ESF+, funding for social objectives will increase overall. Sources of funding for investment in this area will include the national budget and the National Recovery Plan,

she added.

The head of the Ministry of Development Funds and Regional Policy also mentioned that the priority of the Polish side in terms of geographic coverage is that none of the six Polish coal regions that have made efforts to prepare ambitious transformation plans, i.e. Dolnośląski, Lubelski, Łódzki, Małopolski, Śląski i Wielkopolski, should be excluded from the JTF support.

The state of preparation of regional programs and the requirements for information and promotion activities in the 2021-2027 programming period concluded the meeting inaugurating the formal negotiations of the Partnership Agreement. The 12 regions have completed the public consultations on the programs.

The implementation of the partnership principle is very important to our ministry. We implement it on many levels. Examples include the Subcommittee for Partnership Development operating under the Partnership Agreement Committee or innovative activities - such as the series of hearings held in 2021 dedicated to the Partnership Agreement and programs,

Secretary of State Waldemar Buda concluded.

The meeting was attended, among others, by Emma Toledano-Laredo, Director of Implementation at the Directorate General for Regional and Urban Policy, and Christopher Todd - Head of the Division for Poland at the Directorate General for Regional and Urban Policy, as well as Gelu Calacean - Head of the Division for Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia at the Directorate General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion, and Witold Naturski pp. Director of the European Commission Representation in Poland.