Pełczyńska-Nałęcz about the KPO scandal: Beneficiaries will be called to return the funds if we find violations
Where doubts arise as to support the investment with KPO funds, they will be settled, and in the case of violations the beneficiaries will be called to return funds-the Minister of Funds and Regional Policy Katarzyna Pełczyńska-Nałęcz announced on Monday.
The head of the ministry in the post on platform X emphasized that For 21 years, investments from EU funds have been carried out according to the highest standards – with open competitions, regulations, opinions of experts and control of supervisory institutions. She noted that the same rules apply in the national reconstruction plan, and in addition a novelty was introduced – a public side with maps of investment and beneficiaries, ensuring full openness of the data.
The minister indicated that Openness enables social control, which is used by citizens submitting reservations about selected projects. She added, however, that in large programs there may be both expert errors and attempts to abuse, but there are procedures for strict detection and correcting them.
Referring to changes in the criteria in the Horeca program, the minister explained that The turnover threshold was reduced from 30 percent. up to 20 percent In the second stage of recruitment to achieve the required number of projects saved in KPO. “We first opened a competition for the most victims, and then – when the indicator was not exhausted – for less injured. Normal procedure,” she noted.
Pełczyńska-Nałęcz rejected the allegations of alleged coordinated trade in the HoReca program and emphasized that the ownership history of enterprises is not a criterion for assessing applications, and any ownership manipulations before the competition are the area of operation of services, not the ministry or the Polish Agency for Enterprise Development (PARP).
In her opinion, the row around the program undermines trust in investments from EU funds, paralyzes officials and traumatizes beneficiaries. The minister appealed for a substantive discussion on how to support Polish entrepreneurs and use EU funds.
Where it began
Platform X users on Thursday evening began to post examples of companies from the HoReCa industry that received subsidies from KPO, including for yachts, saunas, coffee machines, solariums, furniture replacement or the purchase of a virtual shooting range. The media also began to describe the case on Friday. The ministry of funds announced in this case, and the prosecutor's office undertook to check. Prime Minister Donald Tusk declared that he would not accept any waste of money from the KPO and expected quick decisions, as well as to collect funds in the event of abuse. He declared that the consequences would be drawn regardless of the position and party affiliation.
On Friday, during a press conference, the deputy head of the Ministry of Funds Jan Szyszko said that information about irregularities to the management of the MFIPR arrived “a few weeks ago”. The MFIPR representative added that in connection with the end of July, the previous president of PARP Katarzyna Duber-Stachurska was dismissed from his position.
The Ministry of Funds declared verification of KPO funds allocated to entrepreneurs from the gastronomy and hotel industry. He assured that the initial results of the inspection that PARP will carry out would be “probably at the end of September, and certainly in the third quarter of this year.” The MFIPR added that Poland in December will present an indicator based on verified, correct projects in the EC for settlement.
PARP data provided PAP shows that as part of the support of SMEs from the HORECA industry in the KPO, 3005 contracts at PLN 1.2 billion were concluded, in turn PLN 110 million.
On Sunday, the Money.pl portal posted the response of the European Prosecutor's Office, in which it indicated that it was responsible for “conducting investigations regarding possible financial abuse related to EU funds.” The European prosecutor's office added that this case is definitely interested in it; The prosecutor's office remains in close contact with national bodies.
The purpose of HoReCa's funding under KPO is to support micro, small and medium -sized enterprises in the hotel, gastronomy, tourism and culture industry. These sectors were most injured due to the effects of Covid-19 pandemic.
The rules of the recruitment of HoReCa were established in 2023. Applications for the granting of funds could be submitted in the period of May-June and July-October 2024. In the second round of submitting applications, facilitations were introduced for applicants for additional funds, including reduced to 20 percent. Minimum decrease in turnover year -on -year in 2020-2021 (in the first recruitment it was 30 percent). (PAP)
pif/ pad/ lm/
