EU funds run out ahead of new budget

According to the Dziennik Gazeta Prawna daily, in two years’ time EU funds allocated for Polish road building are to drop by some 20 billion zloty (5 billion euro).

In 2011, some 33 billion zloty will have been spent on road building, while that figure is to drop to 30 billion and then just 13 billion in 2012 and 2013 respectively.

The hardest hit by the drop in funding are small and medium enterprises, with some construction companies already preparing themselves for a drastic cut in EU funds in 2013-2014.

The drop in funds comes as the current EU budget period is coming to an end, with the 27-nation bloc’s new budget perspective for 2014-2020 still in the pipeline.

The Dziennik Gazeta Prawna daily warns that smaller investments due to a drop in EU funds will result in less dynamic growth and a drop in employment. (jb)