Polish companies know how to handle difficult situations 

„I am convinced that Polish entrepreneurs will be able to handle the very difficult situation in which we have to shape the economic circumstances,” emphasised Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki at the Entrepreneur’s Gala 2022.

As the head of the Polish government pointed out, the next 30 years should be the years for the expansion of polish capital. „I would very much like not only major Polish companies but also the smaller and medium-sized ones to have the ability to expand into international markets,” said Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki.

Entrepreneur's Day 2022

Entrepreneur's Day was established by the Sejm in 2016, in acknowledgement of the importance of the entrepreneurs activity in favour of the economic and social development of the country. This day contributes to strengthening public awareness and knowledge of economic processes and entrepreneurship.

Entrepreneur's Day is a celebration of all companies in Poland. In the CEIDG Register, there are 2.6 million active companies.

Polish entrepreneurs when facing, among other things, the COVID-10 pandemic proved their diligence, resourcefulness and creativity. A pandemic also entails new challenges to be met by our companies. It forced a shift in business models, a new architecture of value chains and the return of modern industry development centres to Europe.

Polonica Progressio – award of the Minister of Development and Technology

The awards for entrepreneurs were presented in seven categories – Foreign Investor, Exporter, Innovator, Family Company, Social Worker, Sustainable Development Leader and Special Award.

The awards were granted to entrepreneurs who have contributed to the development and promotion of Polish economy by, inter alia, increasing productivity and innovation, developing human capital or ensuring a friendly environment for business and society.

Impact of the pandemic on entrepreneurs

The COVID-19 pandemic has left its mark on economies worldwide. It radically reversed the rules previously governing the economy, consequently hindering or preventing operation of companies from many sectors.

The Polish government took immediate action aimed at protecting the interest of Polish entrepreneurs and jobs.

The government’s action resulted in a catalogue of support instruments included in successive acts and regulations comprising the so-called Anti-Crisis Shield package, which successfully offset the negative consequences of the pandemic.

Assistance measures for entrepreneurs were intended to protect the Polish economy against the crisis. Thanks to the governmental support, we protected over 8 million jobs and maintained the financial liquidity of companies. In different forms, the economy received over PLN 240 billion. 

State aid for entrepreneurs

The anti-crisis package consists of comprehensive solutions that have introduced a number of facilitations for the SME sector. This includes solutions to reduce the costs of running a business (e.g. tax relief) and measures to maintain liquidity (e.g. working capital grants). 

An important addition to this aid were subsidies for entrepreneurs from the financial shields 1.0 and 2.0 of the Polish Development Fund (PFR): 
•    the Financial Shield PFR 1.0 for SMEs benefitted over 348,000 companies, employing over 3.2 million workers. The companies received nearly PLN 61 billion;
•    the Financial Shield PFR 2.0 benefitted over 47,000 entrepreneurs, employing over 357,000 workers. The companies received PLN 7.1 billion.

Industry aid was also launched (for industries subject to sanitary restrictions). It focused on 4 main instruments, launched systematically: 
•    multiple social security contributions exemptions per employee, 
•    idle time benefits (PLN 2,080 or PLN 1,300 – flat-rate tax), 
•    wage subsidies up to PLN 2,000 per employee,
•    grants up to PLN 5,000. 

The anti-crisis package adopted solutions which were necessary to preserve the potential of the Polish economy and counteract the economic consequences of the epidemic.