The Cohesion Fund concerns Member States whose Gross National Income (GNI) per inhabitant is less than 90 % of the EU average. The goal is to reduce economic and social disparities and to promote sustainable development. For the 2014-2020 period, the Cohesion Fund is allocated to Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Greece, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia and it aims either infrastructure projects or projects related to environmental protection. 

Regarding the environmental protection there are many programmes financed by the cohesion policy in the V4 (Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia) in order to deal with local problems such as air pollution. The cohesion policy also allowed the V4  to finance many investment projects in the energy sector. These projects contribute to the EU energy policy as they improve energy security across the EU and help to reduce energy intensity and emissions in the economy.

According to the European Commission over €10 billion in economic support is allocated to Poland for projects related to environmental protection and resource efficiency. 

Last week, a new Cohesion fund of over €100 million was approved for two new waste to energy plants in Poland (€63 million for the Gdańsk facility and  almost €40 million for the Olsztyn one). These plants will produce electricity and district heat.

The Gdańsk facility will have an annual treatment capacity of 160,000 tonnes and is expected to start operating in January 2023. A Franco-Italian consortium consisting of Astaldi, Termomeccanica Ecologia and Dalkia Wastenergy is responsible for the building and the operation of the plant for 25 years.

The Olsztyn plant is to treat up to 120,000 tonnes of waste a year and is expected to start operating in November 2022. The construction and operation were awarded to a consortium consisting of the Spanish waste management company Urbaser and the financial investor Meridiam.

It is certain that these plants will reduce the environmental impact of waste in this area and will benefit the environment in terms of energy efficiency and use of renewable energy.

If you wish to find out more about the EU’s environmental and energy initiatives, and about how we can support your organisation in developing a public affairs or public funding strategy and unlock different financing tools for your organisation in these sectors, please get in touch at: info@b2eu-consulting.com.