Public money will be filtered. The Ministry will scrutinize every penny spent.

• The Ministry declared verification of the funds allocated from the KPO.
• It announced that it would check whether every zloty of public money was being used correctly.
• The preliminary results of the inspection will certainly be available in the third quarter of this year, he points out.

On Thursday evening, users of the X platform began posting examples of companies from the HoReCa (hotel and restaurant) sector that received subsidies from the National Reconstruction Plan, including for company yachts, saunas, coffee machines, solariums , furniture replacement, and the purchase of a virtual shooting range.

The media also began reporting on the matter on Friday. The Ministry of Funds announced audits, and the prosecutor's office has already begun investigating. Prime Minister Donald Tusk stated that he will not accept any waste of KPO funds and expects swift decisions, as well as the revocation of funds in the event of abuse. He declared that consequences will be imposed regardless of position or party affiliation.

The Ministry of Funds and Regional Policy published a statement declaring that the funds granted to entrepreneurs would be verified.

It was assured that the preliminary results of the audit to be carried out by the Polish Agency for Enterprise Development (PARP) will probably be available at the end of September, and certainly in the third quarter of this year.

We will be fully determined to check whether every penny of public money is used as it should be.

- declared the ministry.

The Ministry explained that the aim of HoReCa investments under the KPO is to support micro, small and medium-sized enterprises from the hotel, catering, tourism and culture sectors - industries most affected by the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic in Poland.

Over 60% of companies in this sector reported a decline in revenue. HoReCa funds were allocated to expanding or changing their business profiles to strengthen companies' resilience to future crises. The program was created in response to the needs and expectations of the HoReCa industry.

- emphasized.

The Ministry recalled that the support program for this sector of the economy, as well as its scope, was invented by the United Right government and then agreed with the European Commission.

It was explained that the first round of recruitment took place in the period May-June 2024. However, the Ministry noted that the insufficient number of applications submitted by entrepreneurs in relation to the KPO indicator, as well as their votes, resulted in the introduction of facilitations for applicants for support in the second round of recruitment carried out in the period July-October 2024.

First and foremost , the minimum year-on-year decline in turnover for 2020-2021 has been reduced to 20% . In the first round of applications, it was 30%. This move, the ministry explains, was intended to increase interest in the program.

As reported, applications for support could be submitted from May 6 to June 18, 2024, and from July 18 to October 31, 2024. In total, there were over 13,000 applications in both calls.

Thanks to the implementation of investment projects, industry entrepreneurs were able to introduce new products or services to their offerings, previously unavailable within their existing business. It was also possible to expand their offerings by taking initiatives in other parts of the sector, thus generating an additional source of revenue.

- indicated in the statement.

The Ministry stated that the main criteria for granting funding included a decline in turnover of at least 20%, as well as the requirement to introduce a new service or expand the offering. It was assured that support was not automatically available to every entity in the industry.

Regarding the evaluation of applications, the Ministry of Funds indicated that the selected operators and their experts were responsible for this.

To support SMEs in the HoReCa sector, the KPO concluded 3,005 contracts worth PLN 1.2 billion, with PLN 110 million disbursed. The average project value is approximately PLN 410,000.

Project settlement is solely through reimbursement, with funds disbursed after approval of payment applications and the costs included therein. Entrepreneurs cannot apply for advance payments. They must also provide their own contribution, at least 10%. Furthermore, VAT was an ineligible expense. Furthermore, entrepreneurs are responsible for the sustainability of the project after its implementation.

- explained.

The Ministry added that the HoReCa program is being implemented by five operators : the Polish Entrepreneurship Foundation Szczecin; the Society for Social and Economic Investments SA (TISE SA) Warsaw; the Małopolska Regional Development Agency SA Kraków/Rzeszów Regional Development Agency; the Regional Development Agency SA Bielsko-Biała; and the Kalisz Entrepreneurship Incubator Foundation Kalisz.

Entities with many years of documented experience in supporting entrepreneurs were selected. These included entities such as the Rzeszów Agency for Enterprise Development, which reported to local governments governed by the opposition.

- added the ministry.

Deputy Minister of Funds and Regional Policy Jan Szyszko admitted on Friday that information about the irregularities reached the management of the Ministry of Finance and Regional Policy several weeks ago and that it was in connection with them that the previous president of the Polish Agency for Enterprise Development, Katarzyna Duber-Stachurska, was dismissed from her position at the end of July.