Poland allows aquaculture aid to be paid in two instalments

Poland’s Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development has authorised the payment of support under Priority 2 of the Fundusze Europejskie dla Rybactwa na lata 2021–2027 programme in two instalments per year, under a regulation published in the Dziennik Ustaw Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej of 26 October 2026 as item 1402. The regulation is dated 22 October 2026 and amends the 2023 rules on granting and paying aid for Priority 2 operations. It enters into force on 27 October 2026, the day after publication.

The amended act is the regulation of the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development of 19 October 2023 on the detailed conditions for granting and paying financial aid for operations under Priority 2 — support for sustainable aquaculture and for the processing and marketing of fisheries and aquaculture products, contributing to food security in the Union (Dz. U. poz. 2361, as amended in 2024, poz. 1280, and in 2025, poz. 1196). The legal basis is Article 26(3) of the Act of 26 May 2023 on supporting the sustainable development of the fisheries sector with the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund for 2021–2027 (Dz. U. poz. 1273). The regulation is signed by S. Krajewski, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development.

Two instalments: 75 per cent, then 25 per cent

A new paragraph 2a in § 28 provides that the funding agreement may contain a clause on paying the aid referred to in § 14(1) in two instalments for a given year of fulfilment of the requirements set out in § 14(2).

A new paragraph 2 in § 29 sets the mechanics:

• The first instalment, equal to 75 per cent of the aid amount, is paid on condition that the beneficiary submits a declaration that the requirements of § 14(2), points 1 and 3, were met during the period covered by the payment application.
• The second instalment, equal to 25 per cent of the aid amount, is paid on condition that the requirements of § 14(2) are met in full.

Lighter paperwork and no annual cap

A new paragraph 2 in § 30 removes part of the documentation burden for the first payment. Where the aid is paid in two instalments, the documents listed in point 8 of Annex 5 to the regulation are not attached to the payment application for the first instalment.

The amendment also strikes the words “raz w roku” (once a year) from the introductory phrase of § 16(1), lifting the restriction that tied applications to a single submission per year.

Scope and timing

The changes apply to the aid referred to in § 14(1) of the 2023 regulation, that is, the support paid for meeting the requirements specified in § 14(2), where the funding agreement provides for split payment. The regulation contains four amendment points and a closing provision on entry into force; no transitional period is set out.

• Published: Dziennik Ustaw Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej, 26 October 2026, item 1402.
• Signed: 22 October 2026 by the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development.
• In force: 27 October 2026, one day after publication.

The change matters for aquaculture farms and fish-processing firms financed from the EU fisheries programme: money for meeting environmental and reporting requirements can now reach them in two payments within the same year, with three quarters released against a declaration rather than full documentation, while the final quarter remains conditional on complete compliance. Removing the annual application limit also lets beneficiaries file more than once a year, which shortens the gap between incurring costs and receiving reimbursement.

Source: Dziennik Ustaw Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej, No. 1402 of 26 October 2026, section I (official reference: Dz. U. 2026 poz. 1402).