New EU Legal Solutions for Cohesion Policy Funds – Mitigating the Consequences of the Pandemic in the Perspective 2014–2020

Pandemia COVID-19 ma negatywny wpływ na życie gospodarcze, w tym na wdrażanie w Polsce polityki spójności UE. Może spowodować konieczność zmiany zakresu realizowanych w jej ramach projektów. W artykule podjęto próbę wskazania związanych z tym obszarów ryzyka, omówiono nowe rozwiązania prawne odnoszące się do perspektywy finansowej 2014‒2020, przyjęte na poziomie unijnym i ich konsekwencje, m.in. dla systemów kontroli funduszy polityki spójności. Wskazano również wyzwania dla podmiotów krajowych i unijnych odpowiedzialnych za prawidłowe stosowanie tych przepisów.Negative impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the economy make a topical issue in the public debate. In his article, the author focuses on the EU cohesion policy implemented in Poland that has a positive impact on socio-economic development. However, the COVID-19 pandemic may significantly affect EU projects’’ imple mentation. The article comprises an analysis of the new EU legal solutions in the field of cohesion policy. The legal acts adopted at the EU level are aimed to mobilise the EU cohesion policy funds for 2014–2020, and to redirect them to the emerging needs resulting from the pandemic. The most affected sectors identified at the EU level include the healthcare, small and medium-sized enterprises, and the labour market. Changes in the legal framework of the cohesion policy allow the Member States to in troduce necessary transfers of the available funds of the cohesion policy for the years 2014–2020, in order to counteract the crisis situation and its economic consequences. The new legal solutions concern, inter alia, more agile procedures for amendments of the operational programmes, the retroactive eligibility of the expenditure to support crisis response measures, support for already completed operations that strengthen the crisis response capacity of the EU Member States, as well as a temporary increase in the co-financing rate to 100 percent. In his article, the author identifies new risk areas related to the implementation of the EU projects. These include the ambiguity of the new legal provisions that may lead to difficulties in reliable financial settlements, or proper application of ambiguous legal provisions. The risk areas discussed in the article constitute challenges for national and EU entities responsible for implementation of the provisions adopted at the EU level. The main challenge is the balance between the sound financial management of pub lic funds (EU funds) and the achievement of the objectives of the cohesion policy in changed socio-economic conditions resulting from the negative effects of the pandemic