Sejm Grants Government Discharge for 2025 Budget Execution

Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s government has secured parliamentary approval for its 2025 budget execution following a tense Sejm debate and a vote of 240 to 205.

Voting Results and Parliamentary Breakdown

Prime Minister Donald Tusk and his team have reasons to celebrate after deputies voted in favor of granting the government a discharge for the execution of the 2025 budget on Thursday. A total of 240 deputies voted in favor of the resolution, 205 voted against, and one person abstained from voting.

Budget Debate and Political Divisions

Thursday’s Sejm debate regarding the execution of the state budget for 2025 and the discharge for the government sparked clear divisions among political groups. The ruling coalition evaluated the implementation of finances positively, emphasizing a return to budget transparency despite high deficits and difficult macroeconomic conditions.

Conversely, the opposition sharply criticized the drop in VAT revenues, labeling the state of public finances as devastation and financial vandalism. Meanwhile, the Supreme Audit Office (NIK) noted some improvement in budget discipline while simultaneously pointing out a concerning increase in debt outside parliamentary control.

Audit Findings on Debt and BGK Funds

The Supreme Audit Office indicated a very high level of debt in funds managed by Bank Gospodarstwa Krajowego (BGK), which amounted to PLN 400 billion. NIK reported that these funds financed public tasks totaling PLN 170 billion, assessing that funding budget tasks through debt issued via BGK cost the state an additional PLN 5 billion.

Separately, representatives of the National Bank of Poland pointed to the effectiveness of monetary policy during the Sejm debate, which allowed for interest rate cuts following the moderation of inflation.

Planned Versus Actual Budget Figures

According to the 2025 budget act, state budget revenues were projected at over PLN 632.8 billion, expenditures at PLN 921.6 billion, and the deficit at no more than PLN 288.7 billion. In the report on the execution of last year’s budget, the Ministry of Finance stated that revenues reached PLN 594.5 billion, expenditures totaled PLN 870.2 billion, and the deficit stood at PLN 275.6 billion.