Background information

In Poland, there are four sectoral agreements operating under the Ministry of Climate and Environment: Cooperation Agreement for the Development of the Photovoltaic Sector, Cooperation Agreement for the Development of the Biogas and Biomethane Sector and Sectoral Agreement for the Development of Offshore Wind Energy in Poland, and Sectoral agreement for the development of the hydrogen economy.

The agreements are concluded in accordance with Polish law – the Act of 24 July 2015 on the Council for Social Dialogue and other institutions of social dialogue (Journal of Laws 2015, item 1240, as amended).

Content of measure

Representatives of government administration and stakeholders signed several agreements to support the development of key energy sectors in Poland:

• Cooperation Agreement for the Development of the Photovoltaic Sector: On 16 December 2021, an agreement was signed to promote industry growth, expand domestic photovoltaic equipment production, and boost exports.

• Cooperation Agreement for the Development of the Biogas and Biomethane Sector: On 23 November 2021, stakeholders agreed to enhance the sector, maximise Polish participation in the supply chain, and advance biogas and biomethane market applications.

• The Sectoral Agreement for the Development of Offshore Wind Energy in Poland : Initiated by the Ministry of Climate and Environment, a sectoral agreement was signed on 15 September 2021, following a 2020 Letter of Intent, to foster collaboration in developing offshore wind energy.

• Sectoral Agreement for the Development of the Hydrogen Economy: A 2020 Letter of Intent led to the establishment of 7 working groups addressing hydrogen implementation in energy, transport, and industry, as well as production, distribution, storage, and education to build a national hydrogen value chain.

Each agreement is supported by a coordination council and working groups that hold regular meetings. The role of the Ministry of Climate and Environment is to facilitate these meetings and enable direct contact with public administration officials responsible for the relevant regulations.

Use of measure

The composition and structure of the working groups established under the sectoral agreements are publicly available. At the same time, despite their operation for over four years, the results of their work are not clearly accessible.

Only in the case of the Sectoral Agreement for the Development of the Hydrogen Economy has a report on its activities for the years 2020–2023 been published. This was due to changes in the Polish government, under which hydrogen-related matters were transferred in the spring of 2024 from the Ministry of Climate and Environment to the Ministry of Industry. As of July 2025, the Ministry of Industry has not provided any information on the potential continuation of the agreement's activities, nor has the Ministry of Climate and Environment announced its dissolution.

The key points highlighted in the report of the Hydrogen Agreement include:

The involvement of 260 stakeholders from public administration, industry, and academia in achieving the objectives of the Sectoral Agreement;

The establishment of six working groups, whose coordinators and members are working to achieve the objectives of the Sectoral Agreement;

Supporting the establishment of Hydrogen Valleys by the working groups and the entities forming the Sectoral Agreement;

The preparation of the NCBR (National Centre for Research and Development) Gospostrategy competition entitled Underground Hydrogen Storage in Salt Caverns for the Stabilisation of Regional and Local Energy Markets.

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Contents

• Other topics

Target groups

Workers	Businesses	Citizens
Applies to all workers	Sector specific set of companies	Does not apply to citizens

Actors and funding

Actors	Funding
National government Trade unions Employers' organisations Company / Companies Other social actors (e.g. NGOs) Local / regional government	No special funding required

Social partners

Social partners' role in designing the measure and form of involvement:

	Trade unions	Employers' organisations
Role	Agreed (outcome) incl. social partner initiative	Agreed (outcome) incl. social partner initiative
Form	Unknown	Unknown

Social partners' role in the implementation, monitoring and assessment phase:

• Social partners jointly
• Main level of involvement: Sectoral or branch level

Involvement

There is no publicly available information about exact involvement of social partners' in the designing, implementing, and monitoring the sectoral agreements. However, several employers' organisations and trade unions are signatories to the agreements.

Views and reactions

There is no publicly available information about the views of social partners on the sectoral agreements.

Sectors and occupations

This case is not occupation-specific.

Sources

• 24 July 2015: Act of 24 July 2015 on the Council for Social Dialogue and other institutions for social dialogue (isap.sejm.gov.pl)
• 15 October 2021: PFR signs sector agreement for development of hydrogen economy in Poland (pfr.pl)
• 07 November 2023: Sectoral agreements in the context of RES challenges in Poland (www.gov.pl)
• 01 January 2024: Report on the implementation of the Sectoral Agreement for the Development of the Hydrogen Economy in Poland 2020-2023 (www.teraz-srodowisko.pl)