Negotiations with the European Commission on the EU budget for 2028-2034 are entering a key phase. EC President, Ursula von der Leyen, together with Budget Commissioner, Piotr Serafin, presented in Brussels the first proposal for the Multiannual Financial Framework after 2027. The conclusion of the Polish Presidency of the EU Council was the need to maintain a decentralised cohesion policy supporting the sustainable development of all regions in the EU.

A debate on the future of the cohesion policy and the cohesive development of EU regions, the adoption of General Affairs Council conclusions on cohesion and cohesion policy beyond 2027 and the so-called Warsaw Declaration, and the organisation of over a dozen events at various levels, including the High-Level Conference of EU Eastern Regions - are the most important achievements of the Polish Presidency from the perspective of the Ministry of Development Funds and Regional Policy.

The first of 13 competitions planned for this year under the Critical Technology Support Fund has been launched. These are not just new competitions, but a completely new approach to funding innovation. Their aim is to strengthen the competitiveness of Polish enterprises by channelling funds to subsidise advanced technologies in key and strategic sectors for our economy. The budget for this year alone amounts to 1.84 billion from the European funds. Funding will be available to companies and research entities from all over the country.

The new regulations will help create products and services that are convenient for everyone - including the elderly or people with disabilities. Companies can rely on financial support and the acquisition of new customers.

The Minister of Development Funds and Regional Policy, Katarzyna Pełczyńska-Nałęcz, presented information on the implementation of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan in Poland at a meeting of the Council of Ministers.

The EU Council formally approved the revision of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRP). It provides, among others, for the creation of a Security and Defence Fund (SDF) of PLN 25 billion. The fund will finance the construction of civil protection infrastructure, e.g. shelters, the expansion of the defence industry and the construction and repair of dual-use infrastructure, i.e. roads, tracks. SDF money will also be used to invest in cyber security.

We have already signed more than 774,600 agreements for more than PLN 117 billion for investments in, among other things, thermal modernisation of buildings, road safety, new nursery places, broadband internet, modernisation of railway crossings and the support for SMEs in agriculture. This represents 44.5 per cent of the overall programme for Poland. This is the balance sheet of 1.5 years of investing money from the National Recovery and Reconstruction Plan (NRP) in the Polish economy.

The European Commission approved the establishment of two new instruments - the Critical Technology Support Fund and the Digital and Green Transition Fund.

A balanced development is the shared goal of the European cohesion policy and the strategy under development by the Ministry of Development Funds and Regional Policy. The core of cohesion is to balance the level of development between regions in the EU. The medium-term national development strategy 2035 is a kind of roadmap for the effective implementation of this policy in Poland, also with the support of EU funds. The Development Policy Coordinating Committee will meet today to issue its opinion on its draft.

The establishment of the Security and Defence Fund or the strengthening of the State Labour Inspection are among the major changes in the recently completed revision of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRP). The European Commission has accepted the proposals of changes presented by the Ministry of Development Funds and Regional Policy.