Biznes Fakty
Pełczyńska-Nałęcz on her responsibility for the KPO: I am watching over the rules
– My role is to ensure that European funding and the KPO are executed according to the established regulations – stated Katarzyna Pełczyńska-Nałęcz, Minister of Funds and Regional Policy, during the „Fakty po Faktach” show on TVN24, when queried about the accountability for the issues surrounding KPO subsidies for HoReCa.
Minister Pełczyńska-Nałęcz was questioned about who is accountable for the activities at the Ministry of Funds and Regional Policy. „My responsibility is to ensure that European funds and the National Operational Programme are executed according to the rules. This entails organizing and overseeing audits. When issues arise, I pinpoint mistakes. These mistakes are then addressed,” responded the guest on the „Fakty po Faktach” show.
„Currently, there are about 1.5 million contracts under my oversight. It’s beyond the minister’s capacity to read every single one of these contracts—it’s simply infeasible. The responsibility for individual contracts lies with the operators and implementing agencies. My duty is to ensure adherence to the regulations, and if there are breaches, to hold them accountable,” she stressed.
Who holds accountability for the HoReCa controversy?
She clarified that the operators and implementing agencies are responsible for the contracts. „My task, however, is to ensure adherence to the regulations, and if they fail to do so, I will hold them accountable and demand the return of the funds. In this matter, we are acting decisively and effectively,” underscored the head of the Ministry of Funds.
The minister was also queried whether Prime Minister Donald Tusk accepted her explanations and concluded that there was no scandal and that the issue had been clarified, as well as whether there would be personal accountability.
„When you assess the entire situation, particularly concerning HoReCa, the Law and Justice party is responsible for this whole affair. This project was incorporated into the KPO by Law and Justice,” she remarked. She elaborated that after its inclusion and the PiS-led review in 2023, it became impossible to make modifications and „close this program.”
On Friday, Prime Minister Tusk indicated that he would not tolerate „any misuse of KPO funds,” suggesting he would expect prompt actions, including the withdrawal of funds where misconduct was apparent. On Monday, he mentioned that following the information presented by Minister Pełczyńska-Nałęcz at Tuesday’s government meeting, he would have „sufficient information to make decisions, including personnel decisions if necessary.”
Timeline of KPO-related controversies
At the end of the previous week, users on the X platform began sharing instances of companies within the HoReCa (hotel and restaurant) sector that received KPO subsidies for expenditures such as company yachts, saunas, solariums, furniture replacements, and the acquisition of a virtual shooting range. The media also started reporting on the issue, and politicians, among others, commented on KPO funds for the sector on social media and in news outlets.
„This is also a collective oversight carried out by citizens. Citizens have observed several projects that raised concerns, so we are accepting and reviewing them,” she stated in response to an inquiry regarding when the ministry became aware of the controversial projects.
„This map and the gov.pl website have been operational for a year,” the minister mentioned, noting that specific projects were made public when agreements were signed with beneficiaries. „Numerous projects have been listed there for quite some time. The goal was to provide complete transparency regarding public projects,” she added, stressing that this represents a new approach.
Announcement of inspections
Deputy Minister of Funds Jan Szyszko announced that the Polish Agency for Enterprise Development (PARP), which supervises the allocation of these funds, will initiate further audits to verify „every złoty” spent on investments in the HoReCa sector. Acting PARP President Krzysztof Gulda assured that preliminary audit findings will be shared no later than the end of September this year. He noted that if any irregularities are found, the contract with the beneficiary may be terminated, and the EU funds may need to be returned.
The minister was asked who would carry out the inspections and whether the same individuals who approved them would be involved. She clarified, „Absolutely not.” „Those who approved, the agencies, will be subject to inspection by PARP, the ministry. These inspectors are individuals who have never worked on this project at all. They are evaluating the entire operation. They are scrutinizing both PARP and the specific projects,” she elaborated.
At a press conference today, she also declared that she would be auditing each of the contracts signed with beneficiaries. „If a contract is audited and found to be compliant, payment will be made immediately, so that entrepreneurs won’t face delays,” she emphasized. „If a payment has already been made and it’s not compliant, there will be a demand for the funds to be returned.”
Minister Pełczyńska-Nałęcz also reassured on Friday that corrective actions
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