According to the provisions of the Partnership Agreement, the Kujawsko-Pomorskie will receive 1.8 billion euros, including: 1.3 billion euros from the European Regional Development Fund and 0.5 billion euros from the European Social Fund Plus. These funds and national funds will support the key development needs of the region and of Poland.

With a good management of national and EU money and the right investments, the region has a chance to become even more competitive and a better place to work and live in. The region's strengths lie in its agricultural, chemical and electroengineering industries, its extensive scientific and research facilities, as well as the country's leading medical facilities, its spas and sanatoriums, its cultural and heritage centres and its efficient education system,

Minister of Development Funds and Regional Policy Grzegorz Puda said at the meeting.

The Minister stressed that the huge potential of the Kujawsko-Pomorskie voivodeship will continue to be supported with EU and national funding.

Micro-, small and medium enterprises, local governments and non-governmental organisations will be the greatest beneficiaries of European Funds for Kujawy and Pomorze,

the MDFRP head said.

The Minister stressed that the regional programme for Kujawy and Pomorze for 2021-2027 will pursue the main policy objectives identified in the Partnership Agreement.

It will be about support to help increase investments in economic innovations including R&D activities and more environmentally friendly economy. We will assign funds to transport and road infrastructure, education and healthcare, and to reduce social exclusion,

Minister Puda said.

The meeting of the Funds Academy in Toruń was also an opportunity to present the new financial perspective of the European Funds for 2021-2027 and remind everyone of the successful negotiations of the Partnership Agreement that Poland negotiated with the European Commission on 30 June.

The Minister called for prudence in the reception of media reports.

‘EU procedures are very complicated and, because of that, not only difficult to understand but also to explain in a clear way, which makes it easier to manipulate the reports. This is why I always ask for prudence and caution when receiving all sorts of media reports covering the cooperation between Poland and the EU’, he said.

European Funds for Kujawy and Pomorze 2021-2027

The Kujawsko-Pomorskie Voivodeship is another (12th) region that completed the negotiation of the Programme Contract with the Minister of Development Fund and Regional Policy. On 18 October the MDFRP issued its opinion about the programme regarding its compliance with the Partnership Agreement and the programme was submitted to the European Commission for approval on the following day.

The new European Funds for Kujawy and Pomorze 2021-2027 programme will succeed the Regional Operational Programme for Kujawsko-Pomorskie Voivodeship 2014-2020 and will be one of the tools for implementing the Development Strategy for Kujawsko-Pomorskie Voivodeship until 2030 – Acceleration Strategy 2030+.

As the MDFRP head stressed, a package of priority projects important for the development of the voivodeship and, above all, fostering the competitiveness of the economy and a higher quality of life in the macro-region was agreed under the Programme Contract for the Kujawsko-Pomorskie voivodeship to maintain the positive development trends. The money available under the cohesion policy will be spent for the implementation of investments of importance for the region.

Among other things, enterprises in Kujawy and Pomorze will receive support for:

• Strengthening the R&D area and using advanced technologies,
• Improvement of the development of information technologies in the socioeconomic system of the Voivodeship (smart and innovative transformation),
• Strengthening of SME growth and competitiveness,
• Job creation in SME,
• Development of skills related to smart specialisation, industrial transformation and entrepreneurship.

The planned EU allocation will amount to about 198 million euros.

Local governments can count on material support as in previous perspectives. The range of funding dedicated to JST under the FEdKP 2021-2027 is great. The amount planned for support is approx. 514 million euro (without RLKS) and beyond them. Among other things, activities dedicated to JST will include:

• Continued digitisation of public services,
• Energy modernization of public utility buildings and communal housing,
• Effective water supply and heat distribution networks,
• Upgrading street lighting systems to energy-efficient ones,
• Infrastructure to produce energy from RES,
• Implementation of modern waste management,
• Development and improvement of the municipal transportation system,
• Road construction and modernisation,
• Revitalisation and renovation of public areas,
• Education, health and social infrastructure,
• Development of culture and tourism.

Direct support dedicated to the NGO among other things is assigned to capacity building of social partners and civil society organisations and amounts to about 1.23 million EUR in total (funds from EFS+). The Programme envisages a package of activities to strengthen administrative capacities and potential of these entities covering the labour market, education and social inclusion areas.

Partnership Agreement for Poland

The negotiation of the Partnership Agreement between the European Commission and the government of Poland were finished on 30 June 2022.

Poland will receive a greater budget than all the other EU member states, i.e. 76 billion euros or 348 billion PLN. Funds for regions amount to 33.3 billion euros. The total value of allocations for national programmes will amount to 42.6 billion euros.

Poland has also negotiated very advantageous terms of the Partnership Agreement. They include:

• A greater decentralisation of funds thanks to which more money will reach local governments,
• 3.8 billion euros for Just Transformation in 5 regions (Śląskie, Dolnośląskie, Wielkopolskie, Łódzkie and Małopolskie voivodeships); the European Commission initially wanted to include three voivodeships only,
• the highest level of transfer between funds among all the member states, i.e. 13.4 percent (from the European Social Fund+ to the Cohesion Fund) or 2 billion euros,
• Support for Eastern Poland – its geographical coverage increased to include a part of the Mazowieckie voivodeship (without Warsaw and 9 poviats surrounding it),
• More areas of ITI (Integrated Territorial Investments) implementation – the previous perspective provided for 24 urban functional areas while the 2021-2027 perspective will see the implementation in about 80 of them.