In brief

• The Senate passed without amendments a law helping homeowners defrauded by contractors working on the Czyste Powietrze programme.
• The law makes it possible to suspend repayment of unsettled advances and refunds once criminal proceedings have been initiated against the perpetrator.
• After a final court verdict, the beneficiary may be released from the obligation to repay the advance to the extent of the perpetrator's liability; the law awaits the president's signature.

What the law provides

The Senate made no amendments to the law prepared by the Ministry of Climate and Environment. It is meant to support beneficiaries of the Czyste Powietrze programme who lost money because of dishonest contractors or third parties (Senat poparł ustawę o wsparciu osób poszkodowanych przez nierzetelnych wykonawców w programie Czyste Powietrze – Ministerstwo Klimatu i Środowiska). The new provisions will allow the suspension of recovery from these persons of unsettled advances and refunds (Senat bez poprawek do specustawy pomocowej dla poszkodowanych właścicieli domów w „Czystym Powietrzu” – wnp.pl). The law now only awaits the president's signature.

Conditions for suspending repayment

Suspension requires two conditions to be met. First, criminal proceedings must be initiated concerning a crime committed by the contractor or a third party, with the beneficiary being the injured party in connection with the subsidy agreement.

The group the law does not cover

As Farmer.pl notes, the law will help defrauded people but omits one group of beneficiaries, which has drawn comments from part of the industry (Wpadli w pułapkę prefinansowania. Ustawa pomoże oszukanym, ale pomija jedną grupę – farmer.pl).

Why this matters for beneficiaries

The Czyste Powietrze programme operates on a pre-financing basis: the contractor receives an advance, and settlement takes place later. When a contractor disappears or fails to carry out the work properly, the beneficiary may be left owing money to the fund. The new provisions are intended to shift the burden of liability onto the perpetrators of fraud.

Also read

• Ustawa o wsparciu energochłonnych do poprawki. Senat skierował ją do komisji