EU Funds in Poland in the years 2014–2020
The EU budget in Poland in the years 2014–2020 proposal has earmarked EUR 82.5 billion for
implementing the cohesion policy in Poland. This means that in the next years Poland will be the
largest beneficiary of the EU cohesion policy funds among all Member States. Under the new
financial framework 2014–2020, projects eligible for aid will have to deal with the areas most
important for the country's development which are in key with the EU's growth strategy for the
coming decade as stated in the “Europe 2020. A strategy for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth”
(http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=COM:2010:2020:FIN:EN:PDF)
Therefore, the main stream of the EU aid in Poland will go to:
 scientific research and its commercialisation;
 innovation and connections between R&D and enterprise sector;
 key road connections (motorways, expressways) and environment-friendly transport
(railways, public transport);
 state digitalisation (administration e-services, broadband Internet access);
 green energy (renewable energy sources, energy efficiency);
 employment activation and social capital development.
As part of individual areas, financial support will be given to projects from the field of culture,
education, employment or counteracting social exclusion.
In this context the better access to the cultural and natural heritage infrastructure as well as the
increase in the cultural competence of the society is an important element of the economy’s
competitiveness.
The results of a query conducted as part of YYC project on the possibility of financing projects in the
field of culture among UE programs existing in Poland are shown in the annex to this Guide
The support policy will be implemented in Poland through 6 state operational programmes managed
by the Ministry of Infrastructure and Development and 16 regional programmes managed by
Marshal Offices.
The Operational Programmes in Poland in the years 2014–2020 - short characteristics:
1. Operational Programme Infrastructure and Environment
The main objective of the Project is “to support the economy that uses resources in an effective way
and promotes territorial and social cohesion”. It involves building a sustainable and competitive
economy on the basis of environmental, social and economic dimension of implemented actions,
focusing around four main thematic objectives (low-emission economy, adaptation to climate
changes, environmental protection and effective use of resources, sustainable transport and
energetic safety) supported with complementary actions in the field of cultural heritage, to name
one.
In the area of culture (Priority Axis 8 . cultural heritage protection and development of culture) the
support will be dedicated to the maintenance, protection, promotion and development of natural
and cultural heritage, as well as promoting social integration by means of a better access to social,
cultural and recreational services.
Support will be given to complex tasks related to the protection and availability, including touristic
availability, of immovable and movable monuments, their conservation and digitalisation.
2. Programme Intelligent Growth
The main objective of the Programme is the „growth of the innovativeness of Polish economy” by
means of supporting projects encompassing the process of innovativeness formation in a complex
way: from the phase of ideas, through the stage of R&D, including the preparation of a prototype, to
the commercialisation of R&D results (the Programme’s motto: “from an idea to the market”). The
activities will focus on financing projects related to scientific research, developing new, innovative
technologies, creating enterprise demand for innovations and R&D works as well as activities for the
benefit of increasing small and medium-size enterprises competitiveness.
3. Knowledge, Education, Growth Programme (successor of Human Capital)
The Programme activities present the tools for the implementation of Europe 2020 Strategy in the
context of globalisation, economic growth, the quality of public policies, demographic phenomena, or
human capital investments, and aim at improving public policies and activities for the benefit of labour
market, education and the whole economy, especially at supporting higher education directed at the
needs of development as well as promoting social innovations and trans-national cooperation. As part of
individual support areas, the most important challenges of the Programme have been shown. These
challenges, which may also pertain to the field of culture, are related to the labour market (including the
improvement of equal access of men and women to employment and counteracting discrimination in the
labour market,); poverty, exclusion and social integration (including the integration and counteracting
the discrimination of people being in danger of social exclusion, including the disabled); adaptivity of
enterprises and employees; education (including equal access to life-long education for adults,
including people with low competences); higher education, good management, support for the
young (including increased opportunities of permanent employment of disabled people); health
protection system; social innovations, supranationalism and mobility programmes (including the
increase of people’s mobility in order to raise their competences and qualifications).
4. Digital Poland Programme
The Programme is aimed at „reinforcing digital foundations of the country’s socioeconomic
development” on the basis of a wide access to high-speed Internet, effective and user-friendly public
e-services and constantly increasing level of digital competences of the society, with particular focus
on the activities of digital integration (the support will be directed at raising the competences of
people who are in danger of digital exclusion and users willing to develop their digital competences).
As part of the improvement of public information availability, the support will also be given to
resources which are important from the point of view of their significance for the Polish culture and
of their potential scientific, artistic or educational use aimed at digitalising them and providing access
to them as well as to the creation and extension of infrastructure for the purpose of storing shared
information. Support for the projects providing digital access to their resources. ITC allows for the reuse of digitalised goods by means of building innovative business models around cultural content.
5. Eastern Poland Programme
The Programme covers the Eastern macro-region including 5 provinces: Lubelskie, Podkarpackie,
Podlaskie, Świętokrzyskie and Warmińsko-mazurskie. The main objective of the Programme’s
intervention is the growth of competitiveness and innovativeness of Poland’s Eastern macro-region
by means of supporting innovativeness and research development as well as creating conditions
fostering the emergence of innovative small and medium-size enterprises in Eastern Poland and
making the macroregion more attractive for investor, especially by means of improving the efficiency
of transport units and sustainable transport within province capitals and their functional areas.
6. Technical Assistance Programme – is going to be a tool of building the potential of
institutions in charge of financial intervention from within structural funds.
16 Regional Operational Programmes
the aid under the Regional Operational Programmes is going to be distributed in line with
individual needs of the region. As a matter of principle, such investments should complement
national efforts in terms of: popularising information and telecommunications technologies,
research, technological development and innovation, infrastructure, environmental protection as
well as energy and transport. Many regions support the protection of local heritage e.g. Action 8.3
Tangible and intangible cultural heritage of Pomeranian Province Regional Programme 2014-2020
The percentage allocation of EU funds in Poland within individual Operational Programmes
31,279.9
27,413.7
8,613.9
700.1
2,000.0
4,689.3
2,172.5
Source: http://www.roedl.com/pl/en/services/state_aid_advice/eu_funds_in_poland_20142020.html
The institution which is responsible for implementing EU funds in Poland is the Ministry of
Infrastructure and Development.
Where to find more information?
The Webpage
www.funduszeeuropejskie.gov.pl
publishes information and documents relating to individual programmes and funds implemented in
Poland. It is a complex information base for the following areas:
- potential opportunities and sources of funding available for the beneficiaries in Poland
- operation of the funds, both centrally, as well as regionally distributed
- notifications about calls for proposal
- programme documents with guidelines
- information about trainings and conferences
- and other materials (including analyses, summaries, reports), which may prove useful when
preparing applications.
The website’s structure has been developed with view to the purposes and needs of different users,
including the people who use sign language and want to take advantage of European funds.
A network of information points has also been created throughout Poland. They provide information
about EU Programmes functioning, call for proposal dates, application documents. Experts may be
consulted about substantive aspects of project proposals.
Central Information Point for European Funds
ul. Żurawia 3/5,
00-503 Warszawa
Monday – Friday 8.00 am - 6.00 pm, Saturday 10.00 am - 2.00 pm
Phone: 22 626 06 32, 22 626 06 33
Address information about other units are available at:
http://www.funduszeeuropejskie.gov.pl/strony/o-funduszach/punkty/#/