Scandal in Poland: Tusk's government spent EU Covid money on yachts, a sex club and a pizzeria with a solarium

A transparency campaign aimed at showing the responsible use of Covid-19 recovery funds from the European Union (EU) has plunged the coalition government of Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk into a political crisis.

What began as an effort to highlight the government's openness turned into a scandal when it was revealed that part of the 1.200 million zlotys (€282.3 million) earmarked to revitalize the hospitality and tourism sector financed extravagant projects such as yachts, a pizzeria with a solarium and a business registered at the same address as a swinger's club, according to reports from Politico.

This development gave the right-wing Law and Justice (PiS) party a golden opportunity to attack Tusk's fragile coalition, escalating political tensions in Poland.

The HoReCa program, part of the EU's National Recovery Plan which allocates Poland 254 billion zlotys (€59.8 billion), was designed to help small and medium-sized businesses affected by the pandemic diversify their operations.

However, the publication of interactive online maps detailing grant recipients exposed expenditures that have sparked public outrage and fierce criticism.

Among the most eye-catching projects were two yachts purchased by a Łódź restaurateur, who defended the purchase as a way to diversify his business into nautical tourism. In another case, a business in southern Poland, registered at the same address as a sex club, received funds for metalworking machinery, according to its owner.

In addition, a pizzeria that incorporated sunbeds and a chain of vodka bars were also among the beneficiaries.

Tusk, for his part, has taken a "zero tolerance" stance on the abuse of funds, promising consequences for those responsible, regardless of their political affiliation.

In a message on X, he emphasized the effort to unblock the funds and his commitment to prevent waste. The prosecutor's office has already launched preliminary investigations, and the Finance Ministry expects the first results of an audit by the end of September.

The HoReCa funds fiasco has transformed a flagship program into a political headache, exposing the fragilities of Tusk's coalition and giving PiS a new opportunity to regain ground.