Travel vouchers as state aid? Commentary for DGP
9 July 2025 • Autor: Kancelaria Brysiewicz Bokina i Wspólnicy
Although the recipients of the 1000+ vouchers to be used for tourism purposes announced by the Polish authorities are to be certain groups of employees, the target beneficiaries of such vouchers will be the country’s tourism entrepreneurs, who have been particularly hurt by the drop in revenue due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Although information on travel vouchers is quite residual at the moment, it cannot be ruled out that they will constitute state aid, since they will entail the granting of benefits also on the part of travel service operators. All the more so since the European Commission's recommendations suggest that state aid could be, for example, guarantee schemes that encourage travelers to use vouchers instead of seeking reimbursement in the face of cancellation of travel and transport services due to pandemic
– claims Dr. Magdalena Porzezynska.
It should be remembered that if Polish solutions are considered state aid, they will need to be notified to and approved in advance by the European Commission. When designing the 1000+ vouchers, the Polish authorities must therefore keep in mind the rules and obligations under EU state aid rules
– adds attorney Malgorzata Wozniak.
See BiW’s commentary at GazetaPrawna.pl
Zadaj pytanie autorowi
