Rafał Cieślak

Hybrid public-private partnership (PPP) projects in Poland emerged during EU programming period 2007–2013 with minimal impact, but this experience has given way to the opportunity of widen application during the financial perspective 2014–2020. In the 2007–2013 period various programs utilized the benefits of PPP in sensus largo manner. However PPPs in the 2014–2020 period seeks to create a leverage effect encouraging the private sector to increase its interest in investments connected to the development of the goals of the European Union. New regulations concerning EU Cohesion Policy eliminate some barriers in hybrid PPPs thus allowing the connection of various public and private sector resources. It seems that 2014–2020 period will allow for more integration of EU funds with private capital in the PPP framework. However the implementation of some regulatory provisions may be hindered unless guidelines, procedures and implementation conditions of hybrid projects are adopted.

Public-private partnership (PPP) is an alternative form of delivering public services by the private sector. The concept of hybrid PPPs developed by the European Commission puts emphasis on integration of the EU funding with the commercial financing supported by private investors. The Commission has introduced a number of advantages of so-called “blended” projects, and among them are: the opportunity to implement undertakings which otherwise would not be exclusively financed by commercial sources or reducing financial risk of projects. Hybrid PPPs demand respect for basic EU principles such as open market access, state aid regulations, protection of public interest and defining the optimal level of subsidization. In Poland PPP has been developing since 2009 when the legislation on PPP and concessions entered into force. The Polish legal framework allows the formation of hybrid PPPs according to the EU concept. Hybrid projects may be realized in a different variants, defining private partner’s role as a beneficiary or operator of the co-financed infrastructure, or mixed types of his engagement in projects.