Irregularities in the expenditure of funds from the National Recovery Plan (NRP) for the HoReCa sector in Poland

Priority question for written answer P-003230/2025
to the Commission
Rule 144
Kosma Złotowski (ECR)

The scandal surrounding the National Recovery Plan (NRP) has caused widespread outrage in Poland in recent days. The government's map of subsidies for the HoReCa industry (hotels, restaurants, catering) includes unusual projects, such as the purchase of mobile coffee machines, yachts, sunbeds and the financing of virtual shooting ranges. This raises questions about the compatibility of such expenditure with the original objectives of the NRP.

Prime Minister Donald Tusk pointed out in a recent speech that the programme to compensate businesses in this sector for losses incurred during the pandemic was devised by the previous government, which is now in opposition. He stated that after the change of government, the current government had to allocate funds from the NRP under time pressure, which could have led to irregularities in the process of granting funding.

In light of the above:

• 1.Is it true that the programme to compensate for losses incurred by businesses in the HoReCa sector during the pandemic was devised by the Polish Government, or was this type of financial support explicitly provided for in the Recovery and Resilience Facility as part of NextGenerationEU?
• 2.Have other Member States also allocated resources from this fund for similar purposes, and if so, have similar irregularities been reported in their cases?
• 3.What specific explanations did the Commission request, what measures can it take if it turns out that the Polish authorities have not implemented effective corrective measures, and is it possible to immediately suspend payments or initiate a recovery procedure?

Submitted: 13.8.2025