Cement production is one of the defining symbols of the Świętokrzyskie region, and the industry forms the foundations of its development both literally and economically. Three of Poland’s 12 cement plants are located there, accounting for more than 30% of the country’s cement output.
However, the sector is facing mounting challenges. High energy prices, the shape of climate policy and growing imports from outside the European Union are increasingly undermining its competitiveness. These issues were discussed during an off-site meeting of the Parliamentary Group for the Development of the Cement Industry in Poland, held at the Ożarów Cement Plant.
Under current EU climate policy, no CO2 emission allowances are expected to be available by 2040, which would theoretically make the production of cement and other emissions-intensive materials impossible. Poland is currently seeking changes to the EU Emissions Trading System that would take account of emissions linked to production for defence purposes, including cement and steel.
Over the next decade, Poland is expected to need around 3 million tonnes of cement for defence-related projects alone, including the construction of the East Shield programme. At the same time, cement imports into Poland reached 1.73 million tonnes in 2025, accounting for more than 10% of domestic production.
Imports from Ukraine are increasing, while cement is also being brought into Poland from countries such as Morocco and Egypt. The EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism, or CBAM, will not introduce charges on such imports until 2027. Industry representatives also argue that Polish industrial energy prices are the highest in the EU and that, without support under the CISAF framework, domestic producers will lose competitiveness not only globally but also within Europe.
“Standing firmly behind Polish cement”
“The pace of cement production decarbonisation resulting from European Union climate policy must take into account market realities and the capabilities of cement plants themselves. Poland has some of the most modern facilities in Europe, and our country is one of the leading cement producers on the continent. This is a major asset that we must protect,” said Adam Jarubas, Member of the European Parliament, opening the discussion.
“We stand firmly behind Polish cement,” said Paweł Bejda, Chairman of the Parliamentary Group. “There is a need to protect the Polish cement industry, which is an element of national security, including military security. Cement is a key component in the construction of military infrastructure. We do not distinguish between companies from the state sector and those from the private sector. All entities that contribute to GDP, create jobs and pay taxes should receive equal support.”
Krzysztof Kieres, Chairman of the Polish Cement Association, estimated that Poland would need 3 million tonnes of cement over the next ten years for defence-related projects, including strategic facilities under the East Shield programme, shelters, bunkers and other protective infrastructure.
A significant share of these investments, including dual-use infrastructure, will be carried out by local governments. The Ministry of National Defence programme provides for more than PLN 5 billion annually in investment related to civil protection and civil defence.
Poland has proposed, in discussions with the European Commission, that emissions linked to defence-related production — including cement and steel — should be excluded from the EU ETS framework. Another proposal is to increase the number of free CO2 allowances available to energy-intensive industries in order to protect their competitiveness.
Paweł Różycki, Deputy Director of the Department of Air Protection and Climate Negotiations at the Ministry of Climate and Environment, said that the European Commission is expected to present the framework for the EU ETS revision in July 2026.
In May 2026, EU ETS carbon allowance prices rose to EUR 80 per tonne, their highest level in several months. According to Poland’s National Centre for Emissions Management, or KOBiZE, geopolitical developments in the Middle East may have contributed to the increase, particularly in the context of the resumption of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
Forecasts for 2030 point to carbon allowance prices ranging from EUR 123 per tonne, according to CAKE/KOBiZE, to as much as EUR 150 per tonne, according to Bloomberg.
Under the current shape of the EU ETS reform, no emission allowances would be available at all by 2040. As a result, production involving CO2 emissions would theoretically no longer be possible. This presents a major threat, particularly for the cement industry, where 63% of emissions are process-related and cannot be avoided other than through the implementation of carbon capture and storage, or CCS, technology.
The industry points to progress in legislation in this area, but says Poland still lags far behind countries such as Denmark.
“The cement industry is moving along the path of decarbonisation. However, it is a process and an enormous challenge, both technically and financially. All of this is aimed at reducing CO2 emissions,” said Mariusz Adamek, Member of the Board of the Polish Cement Association and President of the Management Board of Cement Ożarów.
Cement Ożarów operates Europe’s largest cement kiln, with a capacity of 8,500 tonnes of clinker per day, and will soon celebrate its 50th anniversary.
“At Cement Ożarów, we are working to consistently reduce CO2 emissions, increase the replacement of fossil fuels with alternative fuels, raise the share of biomass in our fuel mix, use more decarbonised by-products and reduce the clinker-to-cement ratio,” Adamek added.
Without CISAF, Polish industry will lose competitiveness
“What is included in Poland’s National Energy and Climate Plan does not guarantee the cement industry energy costs that would provide a basis for production and competition, not only with the rest of the world but also with Europe,” said Henryk Kaliś, President of the Chamber of Industrial Energy and Energy Consumers.
According to Eurostat data for the second half of 2025, total energy costs for the largest industrial consumers in Poland were the highest among EU countries. Industrial energy costs in Poland were 149% higher than in France, 91% higher than in Spain, 38% higher than in Italy and 34% higher than in Germany.
Despite European Commission guidelines under the Clean Industrial Deal State Aid Framework, or CISAF, which allow countries to develop programmes stabilising energy prices for energy-intensive industries at EUR 50 per MWh, Poland has not yet prepared such solutions.
Germany has already introduced a programme under which payments for 2026 are expected to be made in 2027, within just over six months. Industry representatives argue that, unless a comparable system is designed and implemented in Poland, energy-intensive companies will face another blow to their competitiveness.
Currently, 66% of electricity produced in the European Union comes from renewable energy sources, nuclear power or hydropower. In Poland, renewables account for around 50% of installed capacity, with the share expected to rise to nearly 66% by 2040.
Piotr Andrusiewicz, President of the Management Board of Enea Wytwarzanie, discussed the challenges faced by Poland’s energy sector in the context of EU climate regulations. Using the Kozienice and Połaniec power plants as examples, he described how coal-fired generation is dealing with increasingly dynamic changes in demand and seasonal patterns.
Over the past decade, more than 30 GW of installed capacity has been added to Poland’s power system, including 27 GW of photovoltaic capacity and 6 GW of wind capacity. Over the next ten years, electricity production from coal is expected to fall by around 30% compared with 2025.
One response to this changing energy landscape is cooperation between the power sector and the cement industry in processing ash-and-slag mixtures. Cement plants use up to 5 million tonnes of production waste from other industries every year, including fly ash and blast furnace slag. They also process more than 10% of Poland’s municipal waste in the form of alternative fuels.
Cement imports from Ukraine, Africa and Turkey threaten Polish production
“In 2025, cement imports into Poland reached 1.73 million tonnes and exceeded 10% of domestic production for the first time,” said Włodzimierz Chołuj, Member of the Board of the Polish Cement Association and President of Cemex Polska.
As a result, despite the construction boom in Poland, cement production is expected to decline by another 2% year on year in 2026, to 16.8 million tonnes.
“Cement is also imported into Poland from North Africa — from Egypt, Algeria and Morocco through the port of Szczecin — as well as from Turkey. These are countries that do not bear the costs of the European Union’s climate policy,” said Zbigniew Pilch, Executive Director of the Polish Cement Association.
Importers of cement into Poland will not be subject to CBAM charges until 2027. However, industry representatives argue that for CBAM to be effective, it must be fully robust and should address several potential loopholes:
- “Artificial” emission costs in third countries, requiring verification of the scale of state aid provided outside the EU.
- The declared clinker content of cement, requiring updated TARIC codes and effective monitoring.
- Irregularities related to the determination of a product’s country of origin.
- Understated emissions values where more lenient emission verification standards apply, for example in Ukraine.
- The establishment of plants in third countries producing exclusively for import into the EU, known as resource shuffling.
Andrzej Kryj, Vice-Chairman of the Parliamentary Group, identified imports from Ukraine as a shared problem for cement and steel producers. These materials are closely linked in construction, infrastructure and defence, but their production outside the EU has a significantly higher carbon footprint.
In the case of cement imported from Ukraine, actual emissions are more than 100 kg of CO2 per tonne higher than in Poland and more than 180 kg of CO2 per tonne above the emissions benchmarks used by the CBAM mechanism.
The cement industry is also calling on the Ministry of Finance to include cement in the SENT monitoring system in order to improve oversight of transport into Poland and limit the grey market. According to the sector, the state budget and local government budgets lose PLN 136 on every tonne of imported cement.
As more than 1.5 million tonnes of cement entered Poland from Ukraine alone in 2024 and 2025, the resulting loss to the state treasury is estimated at more than PLN 200 million.
Cement remains a strong foundation of the Świętokrzyskie economy
Minister Paweł Bejda noted the presence and involvement of local government representatives, including the Świętokrzyskie Voivode, the Starosta of Opatów County and the Mayor of the Town and Municipality of Ożarów. Their participation, he said, confirmed joint efforts to support the cement industry.
“The Ożarów Cement Plant is a very important place on the map. It is essential for the voivodeship. It is an industrial pillar of the Świętokrzyskie region,” said Jolanta Madioury on behalf of Józef Bryk, the Świętokrzyskie Voivode.
According to EY’s report, The Impact of the Cement Industry on Poland’s Economy, the cement sector generates its highest local economic value added in the Świętokrzyskie region — more than PLN 1.2 billion annually — while supporting nearly 3,000 jobs in the region.
“Poland’s cement bloodstream has two hearts beating in the Świętokrzyskie and Opolskie regions,” concluded Tomasz Kostuś, Vice-Chairman of the Parliamentary Group.
The Polish cement industry directly employs around 4,000 people and supports more than 24,000 jobs across its supply chain. It generates annual revenues of PLN 3.2 billion for the public finance sector and total value added of PLN 5.1 billion.
Tomasz Staniek, Starosta of Opatów County, pointed out that, beyond defence programmes and the construction of shelters and protective facilities, which create demand for cement, support is also needed for the construction of concrete roads.
“It is worth considering a government programme for road construction using cement technology. We have one concrete road in Opatów County that was built 20 years ago. It has not needed repairs for two decades, and it could remain in the same condition for another 20 years,” he said.
Piotr Ślęzak, Mayor of Ożarów, added that Przemysłowa Street, which is currently being built using concrete technology and low-emission cement, is becoming a showcase project for the local government.
