Green Forum • 12 November, 2024 at 7:40 AM
The European Commission has endorsed a positive preliminary assessment of Poland's payment request for the second and third instalments for €9.4 billion (€5.3 billion in loans and €4.1 billion in grants) (net of pre-financing) under the Recovery and Resilience Facility, the centrepiece of NextGenerationEU.
Following its assessment of the payment request submitted on 13 September 2024, the Commission has preliminarily concluded that Poland has satisfactorily completed the 38 milestones and three targets set out in the Council Implementing Decision for the second and third instalments.
Eight investments and 20 reforms will drive positive change for citizens and businesses in the areas of healthcare, digitalisation, spatial planning, and the labour market. Energy efficiency, air quality and clean mobility are also among the areas included.
Flagship measures in this payment request include:
Renewable electricity deployment accelerated: Already in early 2023, Poland achieved a target of 23 GW of onshore wind and photovoltaic capacity, reflecting important progress in the deployment of renewable energy. This was made possible to a large extent thanks to a set of enabling reforms included in the recovery plan.
This covers amendments to the Renewable Energy Sources Act and to the Energy Act, which facilitated the establishment and operation of citizen energy communities, cooperatives and energy clusters. The planning for auctions for renewable energy sources has also been delivered.
Improved quality of cancer care across Poland: Poland adopted the Act on the National Oncological Network, introducing a new cancer care management framework, with coordinators who support individual cancer patients throughout the healing process. Moreover, the new framework ensures every patient receives oncological care based on the same diagnostic and therapeutic standards, irrespective of where they live in Poland.