Poland

Since the beginning of the pandemic, the Commission has adopted support measures under the state aid Temporary Framework and EU state aid rules. These measures aim to help citizens and companies and mitigate the significant economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic:

• On 31 January 2022, the Commission approved a €88 million scheme to support pig sows producers in the context of the coronavirus pandemic. Under the scheme, the public support, in the form of direct grants, aims to mitigate the liquidity shortages faced by the beneficiaries and address the losses incurred due to the coronavirus pandemic and the restrictive measures implemented to limit the spread of the virus.

• On 25 June 2021, the Commission approved a €139.7 million scheme to support bus operators affected by the coronavirus outbreak. Under the state aid Temporary Framework, the assistance, in the form of direct grants, aims to compensate the beneficiaries for the damages suffered due to the restrictive measures implemented to limit the spread of the virus.
• On 18 June 2021, under EU state aid rules, a scheme to partially compensate large companies active in all sectors for the damages suffered due to the coronavirus outbreak. The aid, in the form of subsidised loans at favourable interest rates, aims to support the beneficiaries’ immediate liquidity needs.
• On 2 June 2021, under EU state aid rules, a €800 million scheme to ensure that trade credit insurance continues to be available to all companies, avoiding the need for buyers of goods or services to pay in advance, therefore reducing their immediate liquidity needs.
• On 2 June 2021,  modifications to an existing scheme to support companies in the tourism and cultural sectors as in line with the state aid Temporary Framework. The modifications were approved to allow for a budgetary increase to approximately €593 million, broaden the scope of the eligible beneficiaries, and extend the maximum amount of aid and the scheme duration.
• on 22 June 2021, the modification of an existing €1.1 billion scheme to support companies in various sectors affected by the coronavirus outbreak. Under the state aid Temporary Framework, the scheme consists of four measures aimed to help the beneficiaries meet their liquidity needs and continue their activities. The modification increased the budget to €5.2 billion, amended the eligibility criteria and extended the number of times that companies can benefit from aid.
• on 9 February 2021, a €94.6 million  scheme to support non-governmental organisations, other entities engaged in public benefit work and religious legal entities affected by the coronavirus outbreak. Under the state aid Temporary Framework, the scheme is open to all such entities and consists of two measures: one in the form of a low-interest loan covering the running costs of non-governmental organisations or other entities engaged in public benefit work, and the other, in the form of a wage subsidy to cover part of remuneration and social security contributions of religious entities. The aim of the scheme is to address the liquidity needs of the beneficiaries and to help them continue their activity during and after the outbreak. 
• on 20 January 2021, a €1.9 billion scheme to support companies operating in certain sectors affected by the coronavirus-outbreak. Under the state aid Temporary Framework, the scheme aims to provide support to companies of all sizes operating in several sectors affected by the coronavirus outbreak, including gastronomy, fitness, fairs, stage, film, entertainment and recreation, photography and physiotherapy. These companies could not provide services due to the measures introduced by the Polish government to limit the spread of the virus, or had to bear costs related to sanitary restrictions resulting in a decrease in attendance. Under the scheme, the public support will take the form of direct grants and exemptions from payment of contributions.
• on 23 December, a €2.9 billion scheme to support micro, small and medium-sized enterprises in certain sectors, including the retail, hospitality, leisure and transport ones, affected by the coronavirus outbreak. Under the state aid Temporary Framework, the support, in the form of repayable advances, aims to provide relief from the liquidity shortages businesses are facing due to the pandemic.
• On 22 December, two measures worth around €650 million to support the airline LOT in the context of the coronavirus outbreak. The aid measures consist of a €400 million subsidised loan and a capital injection of around €250 million. Under the state aid Temporary Framework, the measures intend to restore LOT’s equity and liquidity position, in order to ensure the continuation of the air transport services in Poland provided by LOT.
• on 17 December, a €39.2 million scheme to support enterprises active in the pig breeding sector affected by the coronavirus outbreak. Under the state aid Temporary Framework, the public support, allocated as a lump sum in the form of direct grants, is open to micro, small and medium-sized enterprises. The purpose of the scheme is to help the beneficiaries address their liquidity needs and continue their activities during and after the outbreak.
• on 16 November, a € 264 million scheme to support companies affected by the coronavirus outbreak. Under the state aid Temporary Framework, the scheme will grant public support in the form of tax deferrals and tax-related liquidity measures to companies of all sectors (except the financial sector) that suffer a decrease of 25% of their turnover during the crisis. The aim of the scheme is to address the liquidity needs of businesses, and help them to continue their activities during and after the outbreak. The measure is expected to benefit around 300,000 companies.
• on 16 November, a €40 million scheme to support chrysanthemum producers affected by the coronavirus pandemic. Under the state aid Temporary Framework, the public support, in the form of direct grants, will be open to micro, small and medium-sized enterprises active in the chrysanthemum- growing agricultural sector. The objective of the scheme is to address the liquidity needs of businesses affected by the economic impact of the coronavirus, as they have been unable to sell their products due to the Polish government's decision to close cemeteries.
• On 30 October, a scheme of around €13 million, to support companies active in the wood sector affected by the coronavirus outbreak. Under the State aid Temporary Framework, the support, which will take the form of debt cancellation, will be open to companies of all sizes. The aim of the scheme is to ease the liquidity constraints of around 6,500 companies affected by the coronavirus pandemic.
• on 29 September, a PLN 142 million (approximately €32 million) aid scheme to compensate airports for the damage suffered due to the coronavirus outbreak. In order to limit the spread of the coronavirus, on 15 March 2020, Poland banned all international and domestic air passenger services at Polish airports. Under the scheme, the Polish authorities will be able to compensate airports for the revenue losses suffered during the period between 15 March and 30 June 2020, as a result of the restrictive measures on international and domestic air passenger services implemented by Poland. The support will take the form of direct grants. The scheme includes a claw-back mechanism, whereby any possible public support in excess of the actual damage received by the beneficiaries will have to be paid back to the Polish State.  The Commission assessed the measure under Article 107(2)(b) of the TFEU.
• on 31 July 2020, an approximately €95 million (PLN 420 million) P scheme to support companies active in the primary agricultural sector. The support will take the form of direct grants to micro, small and medium-sized undertakings and is expected to support 60,000 enterprises. The scheme aims to address liquidity needs of farmers affected by the economic impact of coronavirus and whose financial situation is particularly difficult because they continue to suffer financial consequences after last year's adverse climatic events.
• a €123 million (PLN 545 million) scheme to support companies affected by  the coronavirus outbreak. The scheme was approved under the State aid Temporary Framework. The support will take the form of: (i) a reduction of the annual fee due for the perpetual usufruct, and (ii) an exemption of the rent, lease or usufruct fees owed by companies that use publicly owned real estate for their business activities. The measure will apply to both real estate owned by the Polish State and to that owned by local authorities, subject to their agreement. The objective of the measure is to mitigate the liquidity shortages that  companies have experienced as a result of the coronavirus outbreak by reducing certain real estate fees they have to bear in connection with their business activities.
• a €2.6 billion (PLN 11.5 billion) scheme to support companies affected by the coronavirus outbreak. The scheme was approved under the State aid Temporary Framework. Poland notified to the Commission a State guarantee on factoring products under the Temporary Framework. Factoring is a financial service providing liquidity to the real economy as it involves the payment of invoices before their final due date. It is an alternative source of working capital for companies to bank loans. The scheme is open to enterprises of all sizes and will be implemented by the national development bank, Bank Gospodarstwa Krajowego (BGK). Under the scheme, guarantees will be available both for recourse factoring and for reverse factoring.
• on 19 June 2020, a scheme of approximately €449 million to support research and development (R&D) and production of coronavirus relevant products. The public support will be co-financed by the European Structural and Investment Funds. It will take the form of direct grants and loans, and will be open to companies of all sizes operating in all sectors, except the primary agriculture, fishery or aquaculture sectors or credit and financial institutions. The aim of the scheme is to enhance and accelerate the development and the production of products directly relevant to the coronavirus outbreak, including vaccines, hospital and medical equipment, medicinal products and protective equipment.
• on 15 June 2020, a  scheme of approximately €9 million to support companies active in the primary agricultural sector affected by the coronavirus outbreak. The support, which will take the form of interest rate subsidies, will be open to all companies active in the primary agricultural production sector. The aid will be granted to cover up to 2% of the interest rate on loans for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and up to 1% of the interest rate on loans for large enterprises. The measure is expected to support more than 1,000 enterprises. The aim of the scheme is to address the farmers' liquidity needs and to help them continue their activities during and after the outbreak.
• on 11 June 2020, a recapitalisation scheme of up to €1.65 billion (PLN 7.5 billion) to support large enterprises and certain larger small and medium-sized enterprises (in the context of the coronavirus outbreak. The scheme, which will be managed by the Polish Development Fund, is part of the “Financial Shield for Large Enterprises”, a support programme set up by the Polish authorities which has an overall budget of approximately EUR 5.5 billion (PLN 25 billion). Under the scheme, the support will take the form of recapitalisation instruments, in particular equity instruments (acquisition of ordinary and preferred shares in public and private companies) and hybrid capital instruments (convertible bonds and loans).
• on 2 June 2020, under EU State aid rules,  scheme of approximately €1.6 billion that partially compensates large enterprises and certain small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) for the losses suffered due to the coronavirus outbreak and provides them with direct liquidity through loans. The scheme, which will be managed by the Polish Development Fund, is part of the “Financial Shield for Large Enterprises”, a support programme set up by the Polish authorities. The support will be given in the form of subsidised loans at favourable interest rates which can be redeemed by 30 September 2021 in an amount not exceeding 75% of the actual damage incurred by the beneficiary companies from 1 March until at the latest 31 August 2020 directly due to the coronavirus outbreak. The Commission assessed the measure, which provides for both compensation for damages and liquidity support, under both Article 107(2)(b) and under Article 107(3)(b) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU).
• on 25 May 2020, a subsidised loan scheme to support large enterprises in the context of the coronavirus outbreak. The scheme is part of a wider Polish support programme, the so-called “Financial Shield for Large Enterprises.” The total amount of loans that can be granted under the scheme is of approximately €2.2 billion. Under the scheme, the public support will take the form of subsidised loans at favourable interest rates. The scheme, which will be managed by the Polish Development Fund, is mostly targeted at large enterprises. It will however also be open to certain small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) registered in Poland, which will be eligible based on criteria defined by Poland. The scheme aims at enhancing access to liquidity for companies that are severely affected by the outbreak, thus helping them continue their activities, start investments and maintain employment.
• on 11 May 2020, a €450 million scheme to support the Polish economy in the context of the coronavirus outbreak. The support measures available under the scheme will be co-financed by the EU structural funds (ESIF).The Polish support measure will take the form of loans and public guarantees on loans.
• on 27 April 2020, a scheme in the form of repayable advances, with a total budget of €16.6 billion (approximately PLN 75 billion), to support companies affected by the coronavirus outbreak. Under the scheme, the public support will take the form of repayable advances. The scheme will be open to micro companies (excluding self-employed workers) and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) facing economic difficulties and liquidity shortages due to the coronavirus outbreak. The measure is expected to benefit around 350,000 micro-enterprises and 26,000 SMEs, which report a decrease in revenues of at least 25% in any month after 1 February 2020, when compared to either the previous month or the same month last year.
• on 24 April 2020, a scheme to support the economy in the context of the coronavirus outbreak. The support measures available under the scheme will be co-financed by EU structural funds (ESIF). The Polish support scheme will support companies in all sectors, including the agricultural and fishery and aquaculture sectors, that are affected by the coronavirus outbreak, through grants and repayable advances, using EU structural funds for that purpose. Member States can decide how to use EU structural funds, in compliance with ESIF rules and - where these funds are used to grant support to companies, possibly with co-financing from the Member State - in compliance with EU State aid rules. The scheme will be open to all companies which have access to European structural funds and are facing difficulties in consequence of the coronavirus outbreak. The aim of the measure is to ensure that companies that are experiencing cash difficulties due to the coronavirus outbreak have sufficient liquidity to maintain their activities during and after the outbreak.
• on 23 April 2020, 11 state aid schemes to support the economy in the context of the coronavirus outbreak. The 11 Polish support schemes will support companies affected by the coronavirus outbreak. Under the schemes, the public support will take the form of (i) direct grants, (ii) repayable advances, (iii) tax and payments advantages, (iv) deferrals of tax payments and (vi) wage subsidies. The schemes, which will be open to micro (including self-employed workers), small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and large companies facing economic difficulties and liquidity shortages due to the coronavirus outbreak, is expected to benefit around 2.5 million businesses, including 2 million self-employed workers.
• on 22 April, an  aid scheme of approximately €110 million to support the economy in the context of the coronavirus outbreak. The new scheme will be financed by reusing resources that had been paid to companies under various financial instruments during the programming period 2007-2013 for EU structural funds and that have been repaid to the State. Under the scheme approved today, the Polish authorities will be able to grant aid to support Polish companies affected by the coronavirus outbreak by providing liquidity support in the form of guarantees on loans and subsidised interest rates for loans.
• on 10 April, a scheme to support the Polish economy in the context of the coronavirus outbreak. The support measure, in the form of direct grants, is intended to partially cover interests on loans, which should normally be borne by the borrower. The scheme will be open to micro, small and medium-sized enterprises and large companies facing difficulties as a result of the economic impact of the coronavirus outbreak. The aim of the scheme is to help businesses to cover their immediate capital needs, thus ensuring the continuation of their activities.
• on 3 April 2020, an aid scheme to support the economy in the context of the coronavirus outbreak. The scheme consists of the provision by the Polish National Development Bank, Bank Gospodarstwa Krajowego, of public guarantees on investment loans and working capital loans. It will be accessible by medium and large Polish companies active in all sectors, and aims at limiting the risk associated with issuing loans to those companies that are most severely affected by the economic impact of the current crisis. The scheme will help businesses cover their immediate working capital or investment needs and ensure that they have sufficient liquidity to continue their activities.
• on 8 April 2020, an aid scheme to support the economy in the context of the coronavirus outbreak. Following the approval by the Commission of a Polish guarantee scheme on 3 April, the  scheme is be co-financed by European Union funds under shared management, notably the European Regional Development Fund and the European Social Fund. The authorities will be able to grant aid to support companies affected by the coronavirus outbreak by providing liquidity support in the form of guarantees on loans and subsidised interest rates for loans.