Poland investigates 1,000 cases of fraud in Clean Air program

Polish law enforcement agencies are currently conducting over 1,000 investigations into irregularities within the ‘Clean Air’ (Czyste Powietrze) subsidy program. According to Minister of Climate and Environment Paulina Hennig-Kloska, fraudulent activities include misleading beneficiaries, using falsified or unreliable documents, inflating costs, and collecting advances without performing the contracted work.

Estimates suggest that dishonest contractors may have defrauded approximately 8,000 families. The total amount of collected advances that remain unliquidated or overdue is estimated at 285 million PLN. Since the program's inception, 22 billion PLN in subsidies have been disbursed, with 14 billion PLN paid out since January 2024.

To address these issues, the Ministry of Climate and Environment has drafted a bill to assist affected individuals. The proposed legislation aims to allow for the suspension or cancellation of liabilities and enables environmental protection funds to pursue claims directly from fraudsters. The Minister stated that the program is secure for beneficiaries and can continue, noting that the new edition launched in March 2025 has already seen 913 million PLN in payouts.