Eurofound's EU PolicyWatch collates information on the responses of government and social partners to the COVID-19 crisis, the war in Ukraine, rising inflation, as well as gathering examples of company practices aimed at mitigating the social and economic impacts.
Factsheet for measure PL-2020-14/804 – measures in Poland
Country | Poland , applies nationwide |
Time period | Temporary, 01 April 2020 – 31 July 2020 |
Context | COVID-19 |
Type | Legislations or other statutory regulations |
Category |
Supporting businesses to stay afloat
– Direct subsidies (full or partial) or damage compensation |
Author | Jan Czarzasty (Warsaw School of Economics) |
Measure added | 30 April 2020 (updated 29 September 2023) |
In mid-April the parliament passed into legislation another set of measures aiming to help enterprises go through the unfolding economic slowdown triggered by the COVID-19 public health crisis. The Act amending the Act on the System of Development Institutions facilitate a public support programme commonly referred to as the Financial Shield, operated by the Polish Development Fund (Polski Fundusz Rozwoju). The programme is divided into specific sub-sets of measures targeting
The programme relies on a scheme of advanced payables offered to micro firms (up to nine employees) with annual turnover of no more than €2 million. Eligible are the enterprises which: experienced decrease in sales by at least 25% experienced on a month-to-month basis after 1 February 2020 (or to the same month of the preceding year) due to COVID-19 outbreak; are not in administration or liquidation procedure; had tax residency in Poland and paid taxes for two previous fiscal years; held operations on 31 December 2019; had all social securities duly paid as of 31 December 2019.
The scale of support: total allocation of PLN 25 billion and up to PLN 324,000 per beneficiary for three years (up to 75% of the amount loaned can be annulated after 12 months).
Some 670,000 enterprises altogether (both micro and small and medium) can be possibly covered, according to the Polish Development Fund (Polski Fundusz Rozwoju, PFR), a public agency responible for administration of the Financial Shield.
As of mid-July, it is reported by PFR that some PLN 17 billion (approximately €3.8 billion) have been released to beneficiaries from the target group (microfirms). Altogether 321,000 enterprises (both micro and small and medium), employing about 3 million persons have received support.
No applications have been accepted after 31 July 2020.
Workers | Businesses | Citizens |
---|---|---|
Does not apply to workers |
One person or microenterprises
|
Does not apply to citizens |
Actors | Funding |
---|---|
National government
|
National funds
|
Social partners' role in designing the measure and form of involvement:
Trade unions | Employers' organisations | |
---|---|---|
Role | No involvement | No involvement |
Form | Not applicable | Not applicable |
Social partners' role in the implementation, monitoring and assessment phase:
BCC issued an opinion critical of the measures directed at enterprises of all sizes, assessing it as insufficient.
Social partners not involved, employer organisations critical of measures as insufficient.
Citation
Eurofound (2020), Financial shield: Micro enterprises, measure PL-2020-14/804 (measures in Poland), EU PolicyWatch, Dublin, https://static.eurofound.europa.eu/covid19db/cases/PL-2020-14_804.html
Share
30 January 2023
Governments across the EU continue to implement policies to support citizens and businesses in the face of rising food and energy prices caused by the COVID-19 crisis and intensified by the war in Ukraine. This article summarises the policy responses as reported in Eurofound's EU PolicyWatch database from January to September 2022.
Article12 September 2022
Although the worldwide pandemic situation had already disrupted supply chains and triggered increases in energy and food prices in 2021, the situation deteriorated in 2022 with the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Article12 September 2022
This article summarises the first policy responses that governments across the EU have started to implement to support companies affected by the rising prices, and those with commercial ties to Ukraine, Russia or Belarus.
Article5 July 2022
This article summarises the first policy responses of EU Member States, including those of the social partners and other civil society actors, enabling refugees to exercise their rights under the Temporary Protection Directive.
ArticleDisclaimer: This information has not been subject to the full Eurofound evaluation, editorial and publication process.