On Tuesday, February 13, the Council of Ministers was to discuss, among others: draft regulation on the establishment of the Ministry of Industryhowever, the planned government meeting was postponed to Tuesday, February 20 this year.
Regulation establishing the Ministry of Industry
In accordance with the text of the project it assumes entry into force of the regulation on March 1 this year.“the Ministry of Industry is created by transforming the Ministry of State Assets“. The transformation is to consist in: excluded from MAP organizational units handling the affairs of the government administration department management of mineral deposits and employees handling matters in this department.
“The Ministry of Industry will be established on March 1, 2024. Yesterday, at a conference at the Chancellery of the Prime Minister, it was agreed between the ministries that my ministry will deal with not only mining and metallurgybut also atom, oil and gas. So it will be the ministry that will deal with it energy raw materials” – Czarnecka said on Friday.
Changes, changes
The assumptions published at the end of January amendments to the Act on government administration departments predict creation of a new section “energy raw materials management” based on the existing “mineral deposits management” and “energy” sections.
Referring to PAP’s question about the current shaping of the structure of MP, the minister pointed out that the permanent committee of the Council of Ministers will deal with changes in the arrangements of administrative departments, probably on Thursday, and then they will go through the Sejm and Senate, which will be completed the president’s signature.
“Therefore, it is difficult to determine the details of departments when everything is still in play. Currently the ministry has a department of mining and metallurgy – and appointing a deputy minister to this department seems to be an unnecessary expenditure of funds,” she said.
Employees want to go to Katowice
When asked if departments dealing with oil, gas and nuclear energywhich are currently in Ministry of Climate and Environmentwill go together with the seat of the Ministry of Industry to Katowice and does this mean that employees of these departments will have to move to Katowice, the minister replied that “most of the employees, which may be shocking, want to move to Katowice, or at least some of them.”
“Anyway some of these employees want to move to Katowicewe will propose the rest new working and pay conditions. Some of it will probably be that way for a while hybrid work” – signaled the head of MP.
She emphasized that it is impossible to determine the exact number of these employees now, as there is no new law on administrative departments in force yet. She added that it specifies that the deadline for transferring employees is 30 days from the date the act enters into force.
Referring to the question of whether ultimately personnel changes in SP companies in the areas covered by her ministry, will go to the Ministry of Industry, Minister Czarnecka declared “excellent cooperation between MAP and MP”. She explained that for now this issue will remain in MAP. She recalled that the draft act on administrative departments assumes: transition of additional companies to MAP: : PFR companiesDevelopment Agency and ElectroMobility Poland.
What will remain in the Ministry of Climate?
When asked why the expansion of the competences of the Minister of Industry, among others, about gas, oil, nuclear or electromobility, the head of the MP stipulated that “the topic of electromobility remains with the Ministry of Climate“. She pointed out that MP was never supposed to deal with “downward business.” “On the contrary, it is supposed to cover the entire spectrum of all energy raw materials,” she emphasized.
Asked about the pre-election declaration of the Civic Coalition transfer of post-mining areas to local governments and whether it is planned in this regard change of the function of the Mine Restructuring Company, the minister said that SRK is the subject of analyzes and considerations. “I will send it back to the Minister of State Assets, because it is the Minister of State Assets that exercises the rights attached to shares in the scope of SRK,” she said.
Reduction of greenhouse gases
During a briefing by PAP, the Minister of Industry was asked about the participation of the Minister of Industry in the government’s work on the position regarding the new proposal of the European Commission in the field of the target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the European Union by 90%. by 2040. Czarnecka confirmed her participation in these works; indicated that these activities are coordinated by the Ministry of Climate – the Minister of Climate will present Poland’s position on this issue.
On Friday, Minister Czarnecka also announced that within the scope of steel industry policy until March 31, 2024 Węglokoks company is to present “information regarding the policy and strategy regarding the operation of the steel industry”
According to the List of legislative and program works of the Council of Ministers, new section “energy resources management” would cover matters relating to the management of mineral deposits, qualifications in the field of mining, energy resources, fuels, development and use of nuclear energy. It would also include issues of international cooperation and cooperation within the EU in the field of energy raw materials, fuels and nuclear energy.
As noted in the List, this area will be removed from the scope of competence of the minister responsible for energy in order “to avoid overlapping of tasks in this area between the two departments”.
Legal consequences of establishing the Ministry of Industry
The result is also to be an achievement amending a number of acts establishing the competences of the minister responsible for energy and their transfer to the minister responsible for energy resources managementincluding cooperation with the minister responsible for energy, where justified.
In turn, the area of development and use of prosumer and distributed energy would be targeted to the “climate” section.
author: Mateusz Babak
