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Eco-finance in Poland

Domestic public finance

Narodowy Fundusz Ochrony Środowiska i Gospodarki Wodnej (National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management)

Main revenues sources to the National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management include environmental fee and fine payments, repayments of soft loans and allocations from foreign/international institutions. The Fund provides grants and soft loans for environemntal projects and investments. Since Poland's joining of the European Union, the Fund plays an active role in EU Cohesion Fund project preparation and supervision, as well as management of EU structural funds and the Norwegian Cohesion Fund contribution. The Fund's revenues in 2007 were 2188.6 million PLN (including soft loan repayments). Main spending areas included: air protection (444.1 mln PLN); solid waste (58.1 mln PLN); water protection  (93.6 mln PLN); mining (88.8 mln PLN); environmental education (15.8 mln PLN); nature protection (18.2 mln PLN); environmental monitoring (63.0 mln PLN); geology (98.5 mln PLN); cohesion fund projects (243.1 mln PLN), and others (1421.7 mln PLN).

Internet address: www.nfosigw.gov.pl
Mailing address: Narodowy Fundusz Ochrony Środowiska i Gospodarki Wodnej; ul. Konstruktorska 3a; 02–673 Warszawa; Poland
Phone: +48-22-45 90 000
E-mail: fundusz@nfosigw.gov.pl

Fundacja Ekofundusz (EcoFund Foundation)

The main source of revenue of the EcoFund Foundation are funds received from debt-for-environment-swap schemes pursuant to agreements signed by Poland with the USA, France, Switzerland, Italy, and Norway. In addition, the EcoFund earns money from bank operations and receives donations. Total revenues of the EcoFund in 2005 amounted to 146.0 million PLN and total funds managed by the EcoFund in 2005 were 324.6 million (including funds carried over from previous years and interest on bank deposits). The EcoFund's total expenditures in 2005 were 126.5 million PLN. Main spending areas included: reduction of transboundary air pollution (2.1 mln PLN); water protection (36.3 mln PLN); climate protection (43.5 mln PLN); nature protection (13.0 mln PLN), and waste management (24.1 mln PLN).

Internet address: www.ekofundusz.org.pl
Mailing address: Fundacja Ekofundusz; 4 Bracka St.; 00-502 Warsaw; Poland
Phone: +48-22-621 27 04
E-mail: info@ekofundusz.org.pl

Regional Funds for Environmental Protection and Water Management

16 Regional Funds for Environmental Protection and Water Management are operational in Poland:

• Warszawa region: 117.9 million PLN revenues in 2007
• Katowice region: 307.9 million PLN revenues in 2006
• Wroclaw region: 161.3 million PLN planned revenues in 2007
• Lodz region: 315.5 million PLN revenues in 2004
• Gdańsk region: 69.2 million PLN revenues in 2007
• Poznań region (no revenue data available)
• Szczecin region: 79.2 million PLN revenues in 2006
• Rzeszów region: 22.4 million PLN revenues in 2006
• Olsztyn region: 34.3 million PLN revenues in 2006
• Toruń region: 129.0 million PLN revenues in 2007
• Kraków region: 122.9 million PLN planned revenues in 2006
• Białystok region (no revenue data available)
• Opole region (no revenue data available)
• Zielona Gora region: 29.0 million PLN revenues in 2007
• Lublin region: 69.0 million PLN revenues in 2007
• Kielce region (no revenue data available)

For more details on these Funds (inlcuding further details on revenues and expenditures, Fund website addresses, etc.) visit our dedicated webpage.

Do you know of additional mechanisms or institutions providing finance for environmental investments and thus should be mentioned here? Please let us know.

International, foreign sources

Below please find links to foreign and international institutions providing finance for environmental and/or water infrastructure projects. Bilateral mechanisms and institutions are listed first (in alphabetical order), followed by multilateral institutions.

The Danish Carbon Program offers carbon finance. For details, inlcuding on Danish Carbon projects in Poland, visit the dedicated website.

The Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ) public-private partnership program (PPP): view website.

The Finnish Carbon Procurement Programme (Finnder) offers carbon finance. For details visit the Finnder website. So far, Finnder has no projects yet in Poland.

Norwegian Financial Mechanism and EEA Financial Mechanism in Poland: view website. See also dedicated website of the Polish Ministry of Regional Development: view website.

Switzerland's contribution to EU enlargement - Poland: view website.

European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD): EBRD energy efficiency and climate change finance; EBRD/EIB Multilateral Carbon Credit Fund (MCCF); EBRD municipal and environmental infrastructure finance; EBRD renewable energy finance; EBRD TAM/BAS programme (TAM/BAS stands for "Turn Around Management and Business Advisory Services"; program includes environmental components).

EU Structural Funds and Cohesion Fund in Poland: view website.

European Investment Bank (EIB): overview on loans offered by the EIB; examples of finance contracts signed; current project pipeline ("projects to be financed"). See also: EBRD/EIB Multilateral Carbon Credit Fund (MCCF).

For additional European Union (EU) / European Commission (EC) support programmes, see following websites: Eco-Innovation in Europe programme; Intelligent Energy Europe programme; and, LIFE programme.

Global Environment Facility (GEF): view website. For country relevant info, see GEF Country Profile portal.

International Finance Corporation (IFC) - the following programs and facilities are available: IFC Environmental Business Finance Program (focused on financing renewable energy, energy efficiency, biodiversity and sustainable land management projects of SMEs); IFC Carbon Finance; IFC Cleaner Technologies Program; IFC Sustainable Energy program; IFC infrastructure financing (including water, wastewater, solid waste management).

Nordic Environment Finance Corporation (NEFCO) carbon finance: view website.

Nordic Investment Bank (NIB) lending: view website.

The Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Partnership (REEEP) supports the development of innovative financing methods and policy to enable investment projects in the renewable energies and energy efficiency sectors (REEEP is not a funding mechanism, however): view website.

United Nationes Development Programme (UNDP) in Poland: view website.

Information on the World Bank's environment and water sector portfolio can be found at the dedicated World Bank country website. In addition: view World Bank Carbon Finance Unit website.

Do you know of additional mechanisms or institutions providing finance for environmental investments and thus should be mentioned here? Please let us know.

Domestic commercial finance

Bank Ochrony Środowiska S.A. (BOS) is a bank providing full-scope financial services to entities conducting environment-friendly undertakings. BOS offers various products for retail clients, entrepreneurs and local governments. Environmental services offered by BOS include:

• Preferential environmental credits from the resources, or with subsidies of, earmarked ecological funds (National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management, Provincial Funds for Environmental Protection and Water Management) and other entities disposing resources for pro-ecological activities (European Fund for the Development of Polish Villages "Counterpart Fund", Foundation "Polska Wieś 2000" [Polish Village 2000], Agency for Restructuring and Modernization of Agriculture). The form of preference is a lowered rate of interest in comparison to commercial credits, as well as a chance to obtain a grace period in the repayment of the principal.
• Environmental commercial credits from the Bank's own resources or in co-operation with external entities (Bank Gospodarstwa Krajowego, manufacturers and vendors of equipment and products serving environmental protection). These are assigned to financing predetermined environmental activities, i.e.: thermo-modernization of buildings, modernization of lighting, environmental investments carried out in the third-party formula, purchase and assembly of equipment fostering environmental protection, pursuance of infrastructural investments covered by a subvention within the SAPARD programme. The lending conditions are formulated through adjustment to the specific character of particular products, in a client-friendly manner.
• Commercial PLN, foreign currency, and denominated credits (including in co-operation with foreign banks, such as: Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau, Nordic Investment Bank, Council of Europe Development Bank) for a variety of investments, including those for environmental protection.

For more details please visit the website of Bank Ochrony Środowiska S.A. 

A list of domestic and foreign banks operational in Poland is available on the website of the Polish National Bank.

Some of the largest domestic Polish banks include PKO Bank Polski, Bank Pekao SA, Bank Zachodni WBK S.A. and BRE Bank.

Last update of this page: 03 June, 2010

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Country background information

General info

• Official name: Republic of Poland
• Largest cities: Warsaw (capital, ca. 1.75 million inhabitants), Kraków (790'000), Łódź (750'000), Wrocław (690'000), Poznań (575'000), Gdańsk (460'000), Szczecin (415'000)
• Neighboring countries: Belarus, Czech Republic, Germany, Lithuania, Slovak Republic, Russian Federation, Ukraine
• Key links: National government; Ministry of Environment; Ministry of Regional Development; Ministry of Infrastructure, Ministry of Economy; Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development; National Bank of Poland; World Bank; EBRD; EC Delegation; Wikipedia; Encyclopedia Britannica

Environment: background info

• State of the environment reports and governmental environmental policies: see website of the Ministry of Environment; see also: 2003 OECD Environmental Performance Reviews: Poland; European Environment Agency (EEA) state of environment reporting; EEA (2007): "Europe's Environment: the Fourth Assessment"; IEA Poland website
• For additional reports related to eco-financing, please visit our library & reference pages 

Currency and exchange rates

Currency: Polish Zloty, PLN (current and past exchange rates)

PLN/USD, end-year exchange rates:

PLN/EUR, end-year exchange rates:

  Source: oanda.com