The issue of KPO funds should be clarified by Poland
Poland has all the instruments to check and explain potential irregularities surrounding the funds from the National Recovery Plan (KPO); the European Commission is not intervening at this stage – said the EC spokesman Maciej Berestecki to PAP on Saturday. According to him, the matter should first be clarified by the Polish authorities.
“From what the Prime Minister announced, it follows that the Polish authorities will take action to clarify the suspicions” – emphasized Berestecki.
“If the government’s actions prove ineffective, then we will intervene” – added the EC spokesman.
Money from the KPO was to be spent by the HoReCa sector (hospitality, gastronomy) on, among other things, the purchase of yachts and furniture. In this regard, the Ministry of Funds announced inspections, and the prosecutor’s office has already initiated verification activities. Prime Minister Donald Tusk emphasized that he expects quick decisions and the withdrawal of funds in case of abuses.
The EC spokesman explained that each member state has a provision in the agreement regarding the spending of KPO funds, of which the Commission is also a party, concerning the control system. Therefore, until the EC recognizes that attempts to clarify irregularities at the national level have failed, the EC will not take action.
“Poland has declared its willingness to clarify the matter, so we are waiting for the results” – he noted. Berestecki observed that contacts between the EC and Polish authorities regarding the KPO are “regular” at the technical level, and the EC does not see the need for intervention at another level.
On Friday morning, the Deputy Minister of Funds and Regional Policy Jan Szyszko announced the initiation by the Polish Agency for Enterprise Development (PARP), which oversees the spending of these funds, of additional inspections that will check “every zloty” spent on investments for the HoReCa sector. He stated that information about irregularities reached the management of the Ministry of Funds and Regional Policy a few weeks ago, and it was in connection with this that the previous president of PARP, Katarzyna Duber-Stachurska, was dismissed from her position at the end of July.
The acting president of PARP Krzysztof Gulda assured that inspections are already being conducted but will be expanded, and their preliminary results are to be presented no later than the end of September this year. He informed that in the event of evidence of irregularities, there is a possibility of terminating the contract with the beneficiary and returning EU funds.
On the same day, Prime Minister Donald Tusk emphasized that he would not accept “any waste of KPO funds,” indicating that he would expect quick decisions, including the withdrawal of funds where there have clearly been abuses. “I learned that the Ministry of Ms. Pełczyńska-Nałęcz had known about irregularities or possible irregularities, or negligence or sometimes foolishly distributed funds for some time. (…) For now, these explanations are not sufficient for me” – said the Prime Minister. (09.08.2025)
