Poland's conservative government on Tuesday adopted a proposal to grant a one-off allowance to households to help them buy coal for home heating amid soaring energy prices.
The lower house of parliament on Friday approved this plan in a 261-36 vote with 149 abstentions, state news agency PAP reported.
The measure now goes to the Senate, the upper house of Poland's parliament, for further debate.
Under the bill, all families that use coal for home heating would be eligible for a one-off PLN 3,000 (EUR 630, USD 640) allowance to cover part of the cost.
Climate and Environment Minister Anna Moskwa has told reporters the new allowance will replace an earlier measure that set a guaranteed price of PLN 996.60 (EUR 210, USD 213) per tonne of coal purchased by households.
Anna Moskwa. Photo: PAP/Radek Pietruszka
The government has earmarked some PLN 11.5 billion (EUR 2.4 billion, USD 2.46 billion) for the initiative, according to officials.
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Source: PAP