• On 13 November of this year UOKiK has notified the extension of the aid programmes to the European Union, the objective of which is to support Polish entrepreneurs in relation to the Covid-19 epidemic.
• The Authority expects the EC to issue its decision on this matter within several business days.

UOKiK coordinated the process of negotiating the aid programmes, approved on the basis of Temporary Frameworks, at the national level, the period of application of which should be extended and sent a group notification to the European Commission on 13 November of this year. It will allow the European Commission to adopt one decision concerning all of the submitted aid programmes. The Authority expects that the EC will soon issue a decision on that matter.

“In this difficult time for both employees and entrepreneurs it is essential to extend the government support granted as part of the State aid. On Friday, 13 November we have submitted the notification extending aid programmes to the EC, in order for the programmes offered by the government to continue to maintain liquidity of enterprises which would allow to maintain jobs. We are working with the ministries and public institutions on subsequent government programmes as part of State aid instruments”  said Tomasz Chróstny, the President of UOKiK.

Nearly all of the aid programmes currently in force aimed at supporting the economy within the context of the ongoing COVID-19 epidemic were submitted in the extension of period of application. They will be available to implement until 30 June 2021 (a portion of the programmes were extended earlier as part of the ongoing notification proceedings).

The following programmes are included in the notification:

• SA.56876(2020/N) - Polish public guarantee scheme on supporting the economy in relation to the Coronavirus pandemic
• SA.56922(2020/N) - Polish anti-crisis measures - COVID-19 - wage subsidies, tax reliefs and reliefs within the scope of social security contributions and other measures

  Solely within the scope of instruments granted on the basis of:

- Art. 15m of the Act of 2 March 2020 on specific solutions associated with preventing, counteracting and combating COVID-19, other infectious diseases and crisis situations caused therefrom (hereinafter: COVID-19 Act):

- Art. 15p of the COVID-19 Act

- Art. 15q of the COVID-19 Act

- Art. 15zzb of the COVID-19 Act

- Art. 15zzc of the COVID-19 Act

- Art. 15zzd of the COVID-19 Act

- Art. 15zze of the COVID-19 Act

- Art. 26, Art. 68ge of the Act of 27 August 1997 on the Vocational Rehabilitation, Social Resettlement, and Employment of Disabled Persons (hereinafter: Rehabilitation Act)

- Art. 26a, Art. 68ge of the Rehabilitation Act

- Art. 26d, Art. 68ge of the Rehabilitation Act

- Art. 32, Art. 68ge of the Rehabilitation Act

- Art. 41, Art. 68ge of the Rehabilitation Act

• SA.56979(2020/N) - Polish anti-crisis measures - COVID-19 - interest rate subsidies
• SA.56996(2020/N) - Polish anti-crisis measures - COVID-19 - financial shield for micro-enterprises and medium-sized enterprises
• SA.57015(2020/N) - Polish anti-crisis measures - COVID-19 - State aid in form of grants or repayable assistance as part of the operational programmes
• SA.57054(2020/N) - Polish anti-crisis measures - COVID-19 - financial shield for large enterprises - remission of loans
• SA.57055(2020/N) - Polish anti-crisis measures - COVID-19 - financial shield for large enterprises - capital investments
• SA.57191(2020/N) - Polish anti-crisis measures - COVID-19 - aid in simplified form of repayable assistance from the financial engineering measures subject to reuse in order to support the Polish economy
• SA.57306(2020/N) - Polish anti-crisis measures - COVID-19 - financial shield for large enterprises - liquidity loan
• SA.57452 (2020/N) - Polish anti-crisis measures - COVID-19 - factoring guarantee scheme
• SA.57519(2020/N) - Aid for research and development related to the COVID-19 pandemic, investment aid for infrastructure intended for testing and preparation of mass manufacturing of products for combating the COVID-19 pandemic and investment aid for manufacturing of products for combating the COVID-19 pandemic as part of the operational programmes for 2014-2020
• SA.57726(2020/N) - Aid in form of reducing perpetual usufruct fee for the year 2020 and reliefs on dues on account of lease, rental and usufruct for entrepreneurs affected by the results of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The need to extend the aid programmes, approved on the basis of Temporary Frameworks, was submitted the following institutions: The Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Development Funds and Regional Policy, the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage, the Ministry of Family and Social Policy, the Ministry of Economic Development, Labour and Technology, the State Fund for Rehabilitation of Disabled People, the Polish Development Fund and Bank Gospodarstwa Krajowego.

The notification results from the adoption by the Commission of a communication, in which the possibility of using the aid measures specified in the Temporary Frameworks was extended to 30 June 2021.[1] It concerns the “Fourth amendment of Temporary Framework for State aid measures to support the economy in the context of the Covid-19 epidemic” [2]. The initial support was to expire at the end of the current year.

Additional information for the media:

UOKiK Press Office
Pl. Powstańców Warszawy 1, 00-950 Warszawa, Poland
Phone +48 695 902 088, +48 22 55 60 246
E-mail: biuroprasowe@uokik.gov.pl
Twitter: @UOKiKgovPL