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Will Industry Remain Competitive in the Face of High Energy Costs? – A meeting at the headquarters of the Employers of the Republic of Poland, with the participation of the SPP

On October 13, 2026, at the headquarters of Employers of the Republic of Poland (the oldest organization bringing together domestic entrepreneurs, manufacturers, employers, investors, and innovators), a discussion forum was held under the theme: “Will Industry Remain Competitive in the Face of High Energy Costs?” On behalf of the organizers, the event was opened by Joanna Makowiecka-Gatza—Chairwoman of the Board of Employers of the Republic of Poland—who is known for her active engagement in relations with politicians and decision-makers at the national level, including, among other things, her work within the Social Dialogue Council, as well as in the legislative work of the Sejm and Senate of the Republic of Poland. The presence of representatives from senior government administrative bodies was noted with satisfaction. Among the main speakers were: Andrzej Domański—Minister of Finance and Economy (MFiG); Wojciech Wrochna—Government Plenipotentiary for Strategic Energy Infrastructure and Secretary of State at the Ministry of Energy (ME); Waldemar Szulc—Polish Power Plants Economic Association/Committee on Energy and Climate Policy of the Polish Chamber of Commerce (KIG), Tobiasz Adamczewski—Vice President of the Management Board of Forum Energi (think tank), and Grzegorz Onichimowski—President of the Management Board of PSE SA. During the discussion, participants tried to answer the question of what legislative and economic decisions entrepreneurs need today to reduce barriers to the operation of energy-intensive entities, which are painfully confronted with the highest electricity prices in Europe—a situation that is currently resulting in a real weakening of the competitive position of domestic plant operators, who are subject to strict EU -ETS and the obligation to rapidly decarbonize.

The organizers set aside sufficient time for a Q&A session, creating an excellent opportunity for participants to express their views freely. Among those who took advantage of this opportunity during the very first round of comments and questions addressed to the speakers was J. Turski (Director General of the SPP). The representative of the paper industry raised critical remarks regarding the government’s draft legislation (currently under consideration) concerning the implementation into national law of the EU’s CISAF (Clean Industrial State Aid Framework)—which sets out the rules for permissible support for energy-intensive industries in response to the drastic rise in electricity prices, with the aim of protecting the competitiveness of European industry, particularly with regard to sectors at risk of carbon leakage (CL) outside the EU Emissions Trading System (EU-ETS). A representative of the SPP questioned the justification for excluding the industrial energy sector from the group of eligible beneficiaries of targeted state aid. He raised an objection directly with the Deputy Minister of Energy, stating that the attempt to cut off support for self-producers of electricity generated in on-site (in-house), energy-efficient, cogeneration facilities—without transmission losses—is completely incomprehensible. He noted that the implementation of CISAF grants EU countries the right to make sovereign decisions regarding the creation of dedicated support at the national level, aimed at operators of energy-intensive industrial facilities. He pointed to support measures already in place in other EU countries (e.g., Germany), where energy-intensive companies may be eligible for permitted support under CISAF.