Today, the European Commission positively assessed Poland's third payment request for €6.2 billion under the Recovery and Resilience Facility , the centrepiece of NextGenerationEU.
Following its assessment of the payment request, the Commission found that Poland has satisfactorily completed the 30 milestones and 14 targets set out in the Council Implementing Decision for the fourth and fifth instalments.
The reforms and investments tied to this payment request will drive positive change for citizens and businesses in Poland – notably in the areas of education, digital growth, clean energy and transport.
Flagship measures in this payment request aim to:
- Modernise heating systems in single-family and multi-unit residential buildings to reduce emissions and energy costs;
- Foster hydrogen innovation by creating supportive conditions for technology development;
- Implement childcare quality standards and secure long-term funding for early childhood services (under age three);
- Enact legislation to streamline 5G deployment by eliminating regulatory and logistical barriers;
- Introduce mandatory low-emission zones in highly polluted cities;
- Invest in road infrastructure upgrades to enhance safety and reduce the risk of accidents;
- Facilitate renewable energy grid integration through a legal framework enabling cable pooling for efficient network management.
- Promote offshore wind energy investments
Next steps
Poland submitted its third payment request on 27 December 2024. The Commission has concluded that Poland met the milestones and targets needed for this payment and shared its preliminary assessment with the Economic and Financial Committee (EFC). The EFC has four weeks to deliver its opinion. The payment to Poland can take place following the EFC's positive opinion, and the adoption of a payment decision by the Commission.
Background
Poland's recovery and resilience plan includes a wide range of investment and reform measures. The plan will be financed by €59.8 billion, of which €34.5 billion in loans and €25.3 billion in grants.
With today's positive assessment, this payment request will bring the funds paid out to Poland under the RRF to €26.9 billion. This includes €5.1 billion pre-financing under REPowerEU received in December 2023. This corresponds to 45% of all the funds in the Polish plan, with 38% of all the milestones and targets in the plan fulfilled.
