On Thursday 26 January, the European Commission approved a Polish State aid scheme worth €21 million to compensate tourism companies for damages suffered as a result of Poland’s restrictive measures in response to the instrumentalisation of migrants by the Belarusian authorities’ at the EU’s external border.
On 2 September 2021, Poland declared a state of emergency in part of the Podlaskie and Lubelskie provinces, in an area approximately three kilometres long, located on the EU-Belarus border. It introduced a ban on tourists staying in the restricted area in response to the exceptional situation caused by the Lukashenko regime. The Belarusian regime attempted to provoke an increase in irregular migration to the EU.
The aid will take the form of direct grants to the tourism sector in the restricted area (hotels, restaurants, tour operators). Beneficiaries will have to demonstrate that their sales have decreased by at least 25% compared to those made between September 2018 and June 2019. The compensation will cover part of their costs corresponding to their loss of revenue. The aid will be capped at 65% of their average monthly profits calculated over a three-month period prior to the tourist ban. Poland estimates that up to 100 companies will benefit from the scheme. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)