The plan was announced by the Family and Social Policy Minister Marlena Maląg on Thursday, Polish state news agency PAP reported.
Maląg told a news conference: “We must protect and support our national assets, including the Oder river and nature. And companies making use of these national assets, which have been affected by the recent events, must receive support.”
The family and social policy minister said that the government had drawn up a bill to help businesses from the Oder area, which is set to be debated by the Sejm (lower house of parliament) next week.
Support for 10,000 companies
“To receive assistance, companies will have to prove that their revenue fell by at least 50 percent in the month when the event took place, compared with previous months,” Maląg added.
Some 10,000 companies from 34 counties near the Oder are eligible for the support, officials said.
Deputy Development and Technology Minister Olga Semeniuk told reporters that the bill had been prepared in consultation with local entrepreneurs.
She added that besides providing financial assistance to those affected by the mass die-off of fish in the Oder, the government would seek to protect “the ecosystem, the cleanliness and quality of air and water” to “avoid such situations in the future.”
Help for over 62,000 people
Meanwhile, Deputy Family and Social Policy Minister Stanisław Szwed announced that entrepreneurs and employees from the Oder area, representing 23 industries and totalling over 62,000 people, would be entitled to a one-off, tax-free allowance of PLN 3,010 (EUR 634) per person for the month of August.
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Source: PAP, portalspozywczy.pl