• State aid in 2018 amounted to PLN 26.21 billion.
• The highest-value support was given to: Spółka Restrukturyzacji Kopalń (Restructuring Mines SA), PGE Górnictwo i Energetyka Konwencjonalna (PGE Lignite Mining and Conventional Power Generation), and FIBEE IV.
• Almost 44,000 entrepreneurs benefited from the aid.

The President of UOKiK monitors state aid granted to enterprises. The forms of state aid include grants, loans, development funds, compensation or tax exemptions. Data is stored in database available on the following website: https://sudop.uokik.gov.pl. Anyone interested may check who got the funds, when and how much. In 2018, public aid amounted to PLN 26.21 billion, which is less than before (PLN 42.25 billion in 2017 and PLN 24.93 billion in 2016). This is due to the fact that many operational programmes co-financed from European funds for the years 2014-2020 ended. A major part of the funds was made available in 2017, hence the fall in the value of public aid in 2018.

In 2018, the value of public aid was lower by PLN 16 billion than the year before. It is because many EU-funded programmes ended. Public aid was given to almost 44,000 entrepreneurs, and the most of it was granted by the State Fund for Rehabilitation of Disabled and marshals of provinces, says Marek Niechciał, President of the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection. UOKiK monitors public aid. We collect data throughout the year and provide it to the European Commission. The Commission must be informed of any plans to grant or change public aid, and the Office plays an important role in this process. We inform the European Commission of an intention to support an entrepreneur by a Polish administration body or other public authority, explains Marek Niechciał.

The amounts mentioned above include aid granted to the transport sector (PLN 4.47 billion), however, in the report and in this press release below we compare and show data that does not cover amounts given to this industry. The European Commission also uses this method in its summaries.

State aid in 2017 and 2018

In 2018, entrepreneurs received mostly subsidies, refunds and compensation (PLN 18.41 billion). Support granted in the form of preferential loans tripled in size (to PLN 235.3 million), while the value of sureties and guarantees increased 40 times (from PLN 1.9 million in 2017 to PLN 75.8 million in 2018).

As for institutions, public aid in 2018 was mostly granted by (i) the State Fund for the Rehabilitation of the Disabled (PLN 3.19 billion) to partially fund remuneration of the disabled; (ii) province marshals (PLN 3.14 billion) to increase the competitiveness of
micro-, small and medium-sized enterprises and for investments, research and development and environmental protection; (iii) tax authorities (PLN 2.72 billion) for income tax relief in special economic zones and (iv) the National Centre for Research and Development (PLN 2.49 billion) for the development of innovative technologies.

Aid by the size of beneficiaries in the years in 2017 and 2018

Support for the SME sector decreased by PLN 3.12 billion (from PLN 12.34 billion in 2017 down to PLN 9.22 billion in 2018). However, small and medium-sized enterprises often use de minimis aid, which, due to smaller amounts, is described in a separate report. The most considerable support was given to large enterprises (PLN 12.53 billion in 2018 and PLN 18.23 billion in 2017). The major aid beneficiaries in 2018 were as follows: Spółka Restrukturyzacji Kopalń (Restructuring Mines SA), which received PLN 1.52 billion for the liquidation of mines, reclamation and repair of mining damages, followed by PGE Górnictwo i Energetyka Konwencjonalna (PGE Lignite Mining and Conventional Power Generation) with PLN 1.18 billion worth aid given based on the Act on the Allocation and Trading of Greenhouse-Gas Emission Permits, and FIBEE IV, which received PLN 607.5 million based on the Digital Poland programme for the construction of a broadband Internet network.

Aid by provinces in 2018

To present statistics in the best possible way, we calculated the share of beneficiaries of aid in relation to all entrepreneurs registered in given provinces.

In 2018, as in 2017, it was in the Province of Lubuskie where the greatest number of entrepreneurs (2.6%) out of all the registered in the Province received public money. This percentage was high for the Province of Świętokrzyskie (2.2%), Warmińsko-Mazurskie (2.1%) and Podkarpackie (2%). In Mazovia however, even though the proportion of entrepreneurs is the largest there, relatively fewest of them received public aid (0.5%). This proportion was low for Western Pomerania (0.6%), Lower Silesia (0.8%) and the Opole region (0.8%) as well. The average value of aid per one enterprise in Poland is PLN 5.500.

Aid in the transport sector in 2018

The value of aid granted to entities operating in the transport sector in 2018 amounted to PLN 4.47 billion (compared to PLN 11.68 billion in 2017), and was mainly intended for compensation for concessionary fares, the financing of municipal transport and the deepening of the port of Gdynia and reconstruction of its quays. The greatest support was given to PKP Intercity (PLN 898 million), Przewozy Regionalne (PLN 429.4 million), Morski Port in Gdynia (PLN 381.8 million) and Koleje Mazowieckie (PLN 357.7 million).

The reports can be downloaded from the UOKiK website: https://uokik.gov.pl/raporty_i_analizy2.php

Additional information for the media:

The UOKiK Press Office

Pl. Powstańców Warszawy 1, 00-950 Warsaw
Phone: 22 55 60 246
E-mail: biuroprasowe@uokik.gov.pl
Twitter: @UOKiKgovPL