Commission greenlights EUR 119M State aid to support forest ecosystems in Poland
The Commission has approved a EUR 119 million Polish State aid measure to strengthen the resilience of mountain and lowland forest ecosystems to climate change.
The aid allows for two types of investments. The first type is for water retention measures, such as the construction, extension, or reconstruction of reservoirs and the restoration of wetland area functions. The second is for measures to prevent excessive water erosion, such as building structures to stabilise landslides, the technical and biotechnical protection of ditches, or the reconstruction, extension and restoration of bridges.
The aim is to prevent or reduce the negative effects of extreme weather events like droughts, fires, and floods.
The aid will take the form of a direct grant to the National Forest Holding, which will manage the projects. The project follows previous investments and is co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund.
The Commission assessed the measure under EU State aid rules, particularly Article 107(3)(c) TFEU and the Guidelines for State aid in the agricultural and forestry sectors and in rural areas.
For more information, see the Commission’s PR.