STEP Programme and EEA Control Requirement

STEP is a new EU initiative designed to channel more funding toward strategic technologies, including digital technologies, clean technologies and biotechnologies. In Poland, the programme is implemented through FENG competitions.

Recently, one of our members raised a concern regarding the Polish implementation of STEP. The rules introduce an additional eligibility criterion in the project selection guidelines: applicants (and consortium partners) must be controlled by entities from the European Economic Area (EEA) or Switzerland.

This means that companies operating in Poland but owned by non-EEA groups — for example from the United States — may be excluded from participation, even if they are well-established and make significant investments in the country.

For some sectors, this creates a serious barrier, and we would like to understand whether this rule is also affecting other industries represented within AmCham.

If your company has encountered or foresees difficulties with participation in STEP calls because of the EEA control criterion, we would be grateful if you could let us know. Your feedback will help us assess the scale of the issue and determine how we can best represent your interests in dialogue with the public sector.

For more information or to share your feedback, please contact:
Karol Witaszek, Legal & Public Policy Counsel, AmCham
[email protected]