Poland has joined Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Hungary in seeking temporary changes to European Union funding rules that would allow more financial support for manufacturers struggling with high energy costs.
The proposal was announced on Monday, 19 October, following talks in Bratislava between ministers from the four countries and EU Energy Commissioner Dan Jørgensen.
Slovak Economy Minister Denisa Saková said the governments wanted greater flexibility to use existing European funding, potentially including cohesion-policy resources and the EU Modernisation Fund, to help businesses facing expensive energy bills.
The request could have implications for Polish energy-intensive industries, including chemical production, metallurgy and other manufacturing activities where electricity and gas are significant operating costs.
However, the European Commission has not approved the proposed exemptions, and no additional funding allocation or new support programme for Polish businesses has been announced.
Four countries seek temporary exemptions
The request emerged from a meeting of the Visegrád Group, commonly known as the V4, comprising Poland, Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Hungary.
The countries have been coordinating their positions on energy affordability, supply security and industrial competitiveness as higher energy costs place pressure on European businesses.
According to Reuters’ report on the Bratislava talks, Saková said the governments had submitted a request for temporary exemptions that would allow EU resources to be used to support industries affected by rising energy prices.
She indicated that cohesion-policy funding and the Modernisation Fund were among the potential sources being considered.
The Slovak minister explained that the objective was to avoid placing prolonged additional financial burdens on national budgets.
The discussion comes as governments face competing demands to support households and businesses, maintain public services and control deficits.
For Poland, the initiative raises the possibility of financing some industrial energy-cost relief through European resources rather than relying entirely on national expenditure.
That remains a potential consequence, not an agreed change in EU funding arrangements.
Poland represented by Energy Minister Miłosz Motyka
Poland was represented at the Bratislava meeting by Energy Minister Miłosz Motyka.
The Polish Ministry of Energy confirmed his participation, identifying affordable energy, economic competitiveness, security of supply and cross-border infrastructure among the principal subjects for discussion.
The meeting also included Czech Industry and Trade Minister Karel Havlíček, Hungarian Economy and Energy Minister István Kapitány and European Commissioner Dan Jørgensen.
The ministers signed a joint declaration setting out regional priorities for EU energy policy.
According to Slovakia’s national news agency TASR, Motyka emphasised the importance of Europe maintaining its own industrial and technological capabilities to strengthen economic resilience.
The Polish minister also highlighted the role of diversified energy sources, including nuclear power, in strengthening European energy security.
The funding request forms part of a wider set of discussions involving electricity prices, future EU energy regulations and industrial competitiveness.
Although Poland participated in the joint initiative, a separate Polish government document specifying the country’s proposed allocation, preferred funding mechanism or potential beneficiaries has not been identified.
Why existing EU funds are central to the proposal
The financial significance of the request lies in the difference between supporting long-term industrial investment and helping companies meet immediate operating costs.
European funding programmes already provide substantial assistance for infrastructure, energy efficiency, regional development and industrial modernisation.
However, those programmes have specific legal objectives and eligibility requirements.
The European Regional Development Fund, for example, supports investment in regional competitiveness, business development, innovation, energy transition and infrastructure.
The Modernisation Fund, meanwhile, uses revenues from the EU Emissions Trading System to support eligible energy investments in lower-income member states, including Poland.
According to the European Commission’s explanation of the Modernisation Fund, the programme prioritises renewable energy, industrial energy efficiency, energy storage, network modernisation and related energy-transition investments.
These forms of financing are primarily designed to support eligible investments and longer-term improvements.
That is different from providing temporary financial assistance towards a manufacturer’s electricity or gas bills.
Saková said the Visegrád countries wanted future EU support programmes to consider industrial operating expenditure alongside investment costs.
Such an approach could potentially help businesses manage immediate financial pressures while longer-term energy infrastructure and efficiency projects are developed.
However, the precise exemptions requested, their eligibility conditions and the EU legal provisions requiring amendment or special approval have not yet been publicly established in sufficient detail.
Existing state-aid rules do not settle the funding question
The proposed changes must also be distinguished from the EU’s existing rules on government support for businesses.
The European Commission’s Clean Industrial Deal State Aid Framework, adopted in June 2025, already provides a framework under which member states can introduce qualifying support measures, including relief for electricity costs faced by energy-intensive users.
That framework remains applicable until the end of 2030.
However, permission to provide state aid is not the same as permission to finance a scheme using a particular EU fund.
A national government may be able to design an eligible energy-cost support scheme while still needing to identify a lawful financing source.
The V4 initiative is therefore concerned with an additional question: whether existing or future EU funding resources could be used more flexibly to finance such measures.
Any eventual arrangement would need to comply with the relevant programme conditions and state-aid requirements.
No final mechanism has been announced, and the current request should not be interpreted as authorising governments to redirect EU funds immediately.
What the proposal could mean for Polish manufacturers
The potential importance of the initiative is greatest for businesses whose production costs are strongly influenced by electricity and gas prices.
Poland has substantial manufacturing activity in sectors including chemicals, fertilisers, metals, building materials and industrial components.
High energy costs can affect profitability, investment decisions and the competitiveness of products sold in international markets.
For some manufacturers, expenditure on energy is difficult to reduce quickly without investing in more efficient equipment, changing production processes or securing different supply contracts.
Temporary assistance could potentially reduce pressure on operating budgets while those longer-term adjustments take place.
However, the commercial effects would depend on the scope of any approved scheme.
Important questions include which sectors would qualify, whether support would cover electricity or gas costs, whether companies would need to demonstrate additional expenditure, and what limits would apply to individual beneficiaries.
None of those conditions has been agreed for a new Polish programme arising from the Bratislava request.
The initiative should therefore be viewed as a possible change in the future financing environment rather than an immediate source of financial assistance for companies.
EU acknowledges need for targeted measures
The funding discussions also took place against the backdrop of wider concerns about energy affordability and the EU’s dependence on imported fuels.
According to TASR’s account of the press conference, Commissioner Jørgensen acknowledged the need for temporary support measures while emphasising the importance of maintaining the EU’s longer-term strategy to reduce energy dependence.
That position does not constitute approval of the particular exemptions requested by the Visegrád governments.
The meeting also addressed energy supply diversification, cross-border infrastructure and the treatment of nuclear energy within European policy and investment frameworks.
These issues are related to industrial competitiveness but represent separate policy questions.
For the four countries, access to affordable energy and sufficient investment funding will remain important as they seek to modernise their economies while maintaining manufacturing capacity.
No funding decision or timetable announced
The Bratislava talks have established a joint regional position, but the next steps remain uncertain.
The European Commission has not announced a formal decision granting the requested flexibility.
Neither the amount of EU funding that could be redirected nor the possible allocation to Poland has been established.
It is also unclear whether the proposal could be implemented through adjustments to existing programmes, temporary regulatory exemptions or a more substantial change to EU funding rules.
The next significant development would be a formal Commission response identifying which mechanisms, if any, could be used to finance additional industrial energy-cost relief.
For Polish manufacturers, the principal question is whether the diplomatic initiative eventually produces a support scheme with clearly defined eligibility conditions and available funding.
Until then, the Visegrád proposal remains a request for greater flexibility, rather than an approved programme delivering financial assistance to industry.
