PLN 11.4 billion is the budget of the programme for Eastern Poland in the new perspective of the European Funds for 2021-2027. What will be the priorities of the programme and where will the funds be invested, was discussed by Deputy Minister Małgorzata Jarosińska-Jedynak during the conference opening the consultations, which was held on-line on 5 March. The Deputy Minister met with representatives of the region - local government officials, entrepreneurs, inhabitants, economic and social partners, representatives of the academic and scientific circles.

On 22 February, MFIPR finished consultations on the Partnership Agreement - the most important document defining what the European Funds from the cohesion policy and the Just Transition Fund (JTF) will be used for in 2021-2027. We will have EUR 72.2 billion for cohesion policy in the future EU perspective, and EUR 3.8 billion under the JTF.

The National Recovery Plan (NRP) is a comprehensive document that sets out the objectives for rebuilding and creation of Poland's socio-economic resilience following the crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. It includes proposals for reforms and investments that will help Poland get back on the path to development. Consultations on the National Recovery Plan begin on 26 February. On 2, 4 and 9 March, debates on the NRP will be held.

The economic situation, the implementation of the Recovery and Resilience Facility and the EU budget – these are the main topics of today’s ECOFIN Council meeting. In the videoconference participated Tadeusz Kościński, the minister of finance, development funds and regional policy.

On Monday we launched public consultations of the Partnership Agreement, the most important document defining the areas of investment of the European Funds in Poland in 2021-2027 period. It’s about EUR 76 billion from the EU cohesion policy and the Just Transition Fund. The Ministry of Development Funds and Regional Policy prepared the draft of the Partnership Agreement that will be then consulted in all voivodships.

The European Union's response to the corona crisis is the Reconstruction Fund. The largest part of the Reconstruction Fund is the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF). Over EUR 23 billion in subsidies and over EUR 34 billion in loans are to go to Poland from this source. In order to use these funds, each state must prepare its own National Recovery Plan (NRP). In Poland, this process is managed by the Ministry of Funds and Regional Policy (MFiPR).

Strengthening the quality of road management. Better planning and management of road projects in accordance with EU standards and best practices. These are the main objectives of the project implemented, among others, by the Ministry of Funds and Regional Policy in the framework of the twinning project. The conference summing up the first stage of the project implementation was attended by Deputy Minister Małgorzata Jarosińska-Jedynak.

15 November marks a year since creation of the Ministry of Funds and Regional Policy (MFiPR), which was created as a result of the transformation of the Ministry of Investment and Development. A new name, new people, and above all 366 busy days. The passing year was marked by work on a new distribution of EU funds, investment of European money for the period of 2014-2020 and implementation of gigantic, multi-billionaire programmes such as the Programme for Silesia and the Accessibility Plus Programme. It is also the time for fighting the corona virus.

The Port of Gdynia Management Board has announced a tender to select a private partner to take care of the construction of the External Port. It is the largest investment in Poland, which will be created in the formula of public-private partnership (PPP).At the same time, it is the largest governmental project of this type.

Following the preliminary analysis, I can observe that the EC proposal raises hope. Firstly, that the negotiations, which are already lingering for months, will finally emerge from the impasse. Secondly, that the cohesion policy will remain an important investment policy of the EU.