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EU clears state aid to Polish firms

23.12.2022 08:30
The European Union’s executive has approved a Polish plan to offer EUR 3 billion worth of state aid to companies active on the gas market amid Russia's war in Ukraine.
Image by angelo luca iannaccone from Pixabay
Image by angelo luca iannaccone from Pixabay pixabay.com/Pixabay License

The European Commission said on Thursday it "has approved a €3 billion Polish scheme to support companies active in the Polish gas market in the context of Russia's war against Ukraine."

The EU executive added that the measure "will be open to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and large companies active on the Polish gas market, specifically sellers of last resort and entities legally obliged to sell natural gas on the gas exchange market."

It also said that the aid would take the form of subsidised loans and be granted and administered by Bank Gospodarstwa Krajowego (BGK), "the Polish national promotional bank."

Margrethe Vestager, Executive Vice-President of the European Commission in charge of competition policy, was quoted as saying that "with this €3 billion scheme, Poland will ensure that sufficient liquidity remains available to companies active in the Polish gas market, which need support in this difficult context.”

(gs)

Source: PAPec.europa.eu