Deputy Digital Affairs Minister Rafał Rosiński told a parliamentary committee last week that the ministry and institutions it oversees transferred around PLN 13 million (EUR 3 million, USD 3.5 million) to public media companies in 2024 and 2025, compared with more than PLN 28 million in 2022 and 2023 when the right-wing Law and Justice (PiS) party and its allies were in power.
The issue was raised at a meeting of the Parliamentary Committee on Digital Affairs, Innovation and Modern Technologies, convened at the request of opposition lawmakers.
The payments went to Polish Television (TVP), Polish Radio and regional Polish Radio stations, all of which are formally in liquidation. That status has been part of the government’s effort to reorganize public broadcasters after a long political dispute over their management.
Rosiński said the money was not used to fund regular programming. He said it paid for public information and education campaigns on digital safety, digital skills, online state services, and disinformation.
"The goal was to reach citizens through the channels with the largest reach," he said.
He added that funds in 2024 and 2025 supported campaigns promoting the mObywatel government app, which he said is used by 12 million people to interact with various government services.
Other campaigns included messages warning against online trolling and disinformation.
"The funds spent in 2024 and 2025 did not serve to finance the media as such, but to carry out campaigns intended to improve citizens' digital skills," Rosiński said.
According to figures presented at the meeting, the ministry’s own budget provided PLN 4.7 million to public media in 2022, PLN 7.4 million in 2023, PLN 2.4 million in 2024, and PLN 3.6 million in 2025.
Institutions supervised by the ministry, including the NASK National Research Institute and the Digital Poland Project Centre, transferred PLN 16 million in 2022 and 2023, and PLN 7 million in 2024 and 2025.
Law and Justice (PiS) lawmaker Katarzyna Czochara said she had asked for the committee meeting after failing to receive a reply to a February parliamentary inquiry. She had requested details on the total amount transferred to public media in liquidation, the list of contracts, the purpose of the spending, and measurable effects of the projects.
Czochara also asked about spending in 2026. Rosiński said he could not provide precise figures, arguing that her inquiry had covered 2024 and 2025.
Dariusz Stefaniuk of the PiS party, a deputy head of the committee, criticized the ministry for the delay in answering and called for the latest data.
Committee chairman Bartłomiej Pejo of the far-right Confederation party supported a proposal for the ministry to submit a written breakdown showing how much money went to which public media projects by the end of June 2026.
Civic Coalition (KO) lawmaker Patryk Gabriel took a different view, saying the ministry should not cut spending on digital education and anti-disinformation campaigns.
"The previous government spent PLN 28 million, and we only spent PLN 13 million; it cannot be this way," Gabriel said.
Grzegorz Napieralski, a Civic Coalition deputy chairman of the committee, said Poland should do more to reach citizens with information that improves digital skills and reduces vulnerability to disinformation.
He suggested that such campaigns could use popular TV series or morning shows to reach older people who may be less familiar with digital services.
(rt)
Source: PAP
