Unemployment Rises

Unemployed Europe

Unemployment in Poland hit 8.2% in June 2009. However, for the sixteen countries of the Euro Zone unemployment hit a record 9.4%. Compared to Euroland, Poland’s 8.2% does not look as bad as it could be. Poland’s Central Statistical Office (GUS) places unemployment in Poland at 10.7%, however, GUS uses different markers to calculate these statistics. The average rate of unemployment for all the EU states was 8.9% (a rise of 0.1% from May, and a 2.0% rise from June last year).  This means that over 5 million people have lost their job in the European Union over the past twelve months. Ironically, these statistics bode well for Poland’s workers as unemployment does not seem to be rising at the same level in Poland as it is in the EU. Additionally, Poland’s economy seems to be coping better with the crisis than most EU states.
Gazeta Wyborcza

Newzar can be emailed to you directly

Poles Say No to Euro

No Euro

The number of people supporting Poland quickly joining the Euro zone is dropping significantly. According to GfK Polonia only 17% of Poles want Euro to be Poland’s currency. It appears that due to the financial crisis, Polish people are sceptical about the Euro. Donald Tusk’s government had been planning to join the Euro zone in 2012. However, when it became clear that Poland will not avoid the financial crisis, the date was postponed to 2014. Most Poles will not blame Civic Platform (PO) for this delay. According to a report conducted by GfK Polonia for Rzeczpospolita 17% of Poles support joining the Euro zone but the rest do not want a common currency or they suggest waiting a little longer before making the change. This demonstrates a significant drop in support for the Euro. At the beginning of the year 26% of Polish people were in favour of introducing the Euro while 39% was hesitant. According to this most recent of polls people under 39, clerks and white-collar workers are the strongest supporters of introducing the European currency. Managers are the largest group who believe we should wait a little longer before making the decision, according to Rzeczpospolita.
Dziennik

Newzar can be emailed to you directly

European Summit after 440 Years

New Nation

On July 1, 1569, during the General Sejm in Lublin, the Kingdom of Poland formed a union with the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. The Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth was created, with one monarch, one parliament and a common foreign policy. For a few months now, Lublin has been preparing for the anniversary celebrations. The Monument of the Union of Lublin and Jan Matejko’s painting Unia Lubelska (The Union of Lublin) have been renovated. The John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin (KUL) invited the Prime Ministers of the member states of the EU and the Presidents of Poland, Lech Kaczyński; Lithuania, outgoing Valdas Adamkus; Latvia,  Valdis Zatlers; Ukraine, Viktor Yushchenko; Estonia, Toomas Hendrik Ilves and the former President of Belarus,  Myechyslau Hryb (Lukashenko’s predecessor).

First Union in Europe

The authorities of Lublin and President Kaczyński also invited José Manuel Barroso, the President of the European Commission. However, he will not come, just like the Prime Ministers and Presidents of Estonia and Latvia. Instead, the former Chairman of the Supreme Soviet, Stanislau Shushkevich, will be present. Honouring the Presidents with Honorary Degrees of KUL will be the highlight of the day. The absence of Barroso is, paradoxically, quite convenient, as he would be the only one invited and not awarded a degree. A few months ago, KUL wanted to honour him but eventually decided against it. The official reason was that Barroso did not confirm his visit to Lublin, the unofficial reason is, however, his views are incompatible with the Church’s teachings. This concerns the Treaty of Lisbon and the Charter of Fundamental Rights, which he approves of. The disputable matter is the lack of “invocatio dei” (reference to God) in the document. Although he was not invited, Lukashenko will appear in Lublin in some sense. The Lithuanian artist, Redas Diržys, has planted beets, carrots and radishes in the centre of Lublin. By July 1, the vegetables are supposed to form a portrait of Lukashenko.
Wyborcza.pl

Newzar can be emailed to you directly

Fast, Furious and Dead

Need for Speed?

In 2008 Poland was 2nd place in the whole European Union when it comes to the number of road deaths. Lithuania occupies the top spot. Those are the conclusions drawn from the latest report of the European Transport Safety Council (ETSC) which was published yesterday. In 2008 5,437 people died on Polish roads, that is 143 road deaths per million people. In Lithuania the ratio was 148; in Hungary 99; 104 in the Czech Republic; Romania and Bulgaria were just behind Poland with, respectively, 142 and 139 road deaths per million. At the beginning of the decade, EU countries agreed on reducing road deaths by 50% by 2010. Nothing has changed in Poland so far – in 2001 the ratio was 145. However, other countries have managed it. In 2001 France had a similar statistic to Poland with 134 road deaths per million population. Today, with 69 road deaths, they have managed to go below the EU average – mainly thanks to draconian regulations. In 2007, over 27 million tickets for violation of traffic regulations were imposed in France. Over 7 million thanks to speed cameras. The fines from these tickets amounted to €883 million and the highest individual fines were as high as €6,800.

In Latvia the number of road deaths dropped by 43% thanks also to stricter regulations and penalties, for example for driving with 100 mg alcohol per 100 ml of blood one can be sentenced to 15 days in jail. Over 39,000 people died on roads in the whole EU in 2008. This equals the number of citizens in an average city. Why does Poland do so poorly? “Roads themselves cannot kill. It’s the drivers that must adapt to the situation on the roads,” says Maria Dąbrowska-Lorenc from the Centre for Road Safety. “Speeding is the main reason for car accidents,” she adds. According to the authors of the report the main reason why so many road deaths have been prevented is the safety of vehicles. Improvements in design have helped prevent some 10,640 adult deaths over the past decade and 5,470 since 2001 in the EU-27. Over two-thirds of cars in Poland were manufactured more than ten years ago which is almost double the whole EU average. According to the data provided by the Polish Police, 31% of road accidents were caused by speeding; 24% by not giving right of way to other vehicles; 8% by not giving right of way to pedestrians and 7% by the improper overtaking of other vehicles. 30% of all accidents were caused by drivers of company cars, even though they only make up 5% of all cars registered in Poland according to the Partnership for Road Safety.

Dąbrowska-Lorenc, from the Centre for Road Safety, is certain that the Act regulating the usage of speed cameras will help solve the problem. “In France, the number of road accidents dropped by 20% during the first year after a similar Act came into force,” she adds. In Poland that would amount to almost one thousand people. However, President Kaczyński has sent the Act to the Constitutional Tribunal, because the immediate execution of the punishment which is stipulated in the Act does not provide a clear path for appeal in his opinion. Moreover, President Kaczyński also finds the regulation which allows one to sell one’s vehicle when one refuses to pay a ticket voluntarily to be too severe a punishment. Mikołaj Karpiński, spokesman of the Ministry of Infrastructure, is optimistic. “The National Plan of Road Safety assumes reducing road deaths by 50% by 2013. That is three years later than the EU plan. According to the initial data of road deaths between January and May 2009, there have been 450 fewer deaths than the similar period in 2008,” says Karpiński.
Gazeta Wyborcza

Newzar can be emailed to you directly

New Power in Euro Parliament

Right-wing Trailblazer?

A week before the elections to the European Parliament the largest Polish opposition party, Law and Justice (PiS), has decided to present its vision of Europe and start a discussion on this issue. “Europe needs new initiatives. Europe needs this like people need fresh air,” said PiS leader Jarosław Kaczyński during a Saturday election rally in Warsaw where he described PiS as “conservatives who want reform”. As Gazeta Wyborcza writes there were prominent foreign politicians present at the rally, including former Czech PM and leader of the Civic Democratic Party (OSD) Miroslav Topolánek, as well as David Cameron, leader of the British Conservative Party, tipped by many to become the future British PM. Together with Jarosław Kaczyński they declared that after the elections they will form a new group in the European Parliament.

According to PiS spokesman Adam Bielan the aim is to be the third power in the EU Parliament; just after the Group of the European People’s Party (Christian Democrats), the Socialist Group and the equally strong Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe. “We have made a considerable step towards a better Europe,” said Kaczyński. “European institutions should be effective, efficient and improve cooperation between countries. They should at no point challenge the rights of individuals and laws of the free market,” added the PiS leader. Topolánek mentioned the differences between OSD, PiS and the Tories; however, he said that all three parties share a common view of European integration and the slogan: “More freedom, more realism”. The former Czech PM also said that “The Lisbon Treaty is dead”. Cameron emphasised that “a strong centre-right group will emerge in the European Parliament, forming an alternative to federalist views”. “This is our vision of an open, modern and flexible EU. European nations expect a union of national countries, not a United States of Europe,” he added. “Only through common sense can we create good institutions and introduce moral standards, so they can serve the people. I believe that all three parties share a common sense approach,” said Kaczyński. Surprisingly, there was not a word said about Civic Platform (PO) or the Germans challenging Poland’s borders.
Gazeta Wyborcza

Newzar can be emailed to you directly

Buzek Sacrificed For Cimoszewicz?

Firmly Behind Buzek

The Polish PM Donald Tusk has recently put forward two candidates for important positions in the EU structures: former PM Leszek Buzek for President of the EU Parliament and another former PM Włodzimierz Cimoszewicz for Secretary General of the European Council. Meanwhile, Italian PM Silvio Berlusconi has put forward his own candidate, Mario Mauro, to be appointed to the former position, whilst at the same time mentioning an unofficial deal on this issue with Poland. According to Mr Berlusconi, “an agreement is close”. Poland supports the Italian candidate for the EU Parliamentary President, Italy will return the favour and support the Polish candidate for the EU Secretary General. According to the ANSA agency, Mr Berlusconi has openly mentioned the agreement with the Polish government, though without stating any particular names. However, “there is no such agreement,” claims Paweł Graś, the Polish government spokesperson. He later reassured the public that the only candidate suggested and consistently supported by the Polish government is Mr Buzek. Last Friday, at the Civic Platform’s (PO) convention, Mr Tusk expressed his strong belief that if his party wins the EU Parliamentary elections, it will significantly increase Poland’s influence on EU politics. “If Civic Platform wins, I hereby vow we will have a Polish President of the EU Parliament,” he promised.
Dziennik

Newzar can be emailed to you directly

Kononowicz in the EU

Political Icon?

Firstly, the police will have the right to hit hooligans. Secondly, there will be state work places. Thirdly, hypermarkets in cities should be got rid of or converted into sports halls. These are among the most important points in Krzysztof Kononowicz’s electoral programme. He is a candidate for the European Parliament. Kononowicz comes from Białystok and became famous in 2006 when he stood for elections in Białystok. He became popular thanks to the speech he gave on Jard TV. Up until the 4^th February 2007 his promotional video had registered over 6 million hits on YouTube. It seems Kononowicz has not ended his political career and has announced his electoral programme.

“Firstly, the police should be on the streets. I will change their uniforms, I don’t like the blue ones,” we read in Głos Szczeciński. “Secondly, work places must be state-owned, not foreign. All people should have bread to eat and young people should have sports halls. This is what’s most important for me. What’s more, hypermarkets will be outside cities. Those which are already there will be converted into gyms,” says Kononowicz. “I will demand that the Criminal Law is changed. I don’t want the death penalty to return. Life sentences should be for murder. At the moment prisoners sit in their cells while there are roads to build. We have a workforce for free in the prisons. Give them a spade and make them dig. This should be the case across Europe: not only in Poland but also in Belarus, everywhere. European police regulations should also be changed. Police officers should have the right to kick ass if they catch a hooligan red-handed so that he will think twice before doing it again. But I would not give guns to people. The police should defend us from the thugs,” adds Kononowicz. In the future, Kononowicz wants to be President of Poland. He says if he becomes President, he will get rid of the Sejm and the Senate and will travel all over the country and Poland borders will be restored and will once again stretch from “from sea to sea.”
Dziennik

Newzar can be emailed to you directly

No Prestigious Positions for Poles?

EU Victors

Although Poland joined the EU five years ago, Polish officers have not yet managed to obtain high-ranking positions in EU institutions. The EU Commission has a certain numberof posts for all member states, but Poland has failed to fill them. The EU Commission employs 1,100 Polish office workers, but half of them occupy the lowest positions in the hierarchy. Only 2 of them hold the position of vice-president general, and no one has managed to climb to the top yet. Poland is at the bottom of the statistics pile particularly when it comes to high-ranking positions, on which a member state’s image and effective lobbing to the EU Commission depends. Ewa Haczyk, who works in the Commission’s press office, claims that Poles “need to learn a great deal in this respect from the English and the French; they have the best experience in this matter, so it is worth taking advantage of it”. Experts admit that the more office workers from a member state there are in the EU structures, the easier it is to force regulations in its favour. In this regard, France and Great Britain are the definite winners.
Dziennik

Newzar can be emailed to you directly

EU Citizens Can Buy Homes in Poland

Polish Homes on Sale

According to the provisions of article 5 point 2 of the Real Estate Property Acquisition by Foreign Persons Act, from the 1st of May 2009 EU citizens can buy homes in Poland without a permit. This article stipulates that from the 1st of May 2004, EU citizens are not allowed to purchase agricultural or forested land for 12 years from Poland’s entry into the EU; whereas, houses for a period of 5 years. However, since the 1st of May 2004, they have been able to buy flats without any legal barriers.

“This means that from the 1st of May, EU citizens will be able to also purchase houses without any permit, regardless of whether they have ever lived in Poland or not. However, in order to acquire land without the permit, they have to wait another seven years,” says Janusz Siekański, lawyer and associate in the legal firm Sołtysiński Kawecki Szlęzak. “This concerns both normal residential buildings and recreation houses,” says Siekański. In some cases, foreigners already now have the right to buy land without the permit. This happens when agricultural or forested land is situated in the western regions such as, for example, Lower Silesian, West Pomeranian or Lubusz; however, only if they have been farming there for at least seven years and lived legally in Poland during that time. “The same rule applies in the Warmian-Mazurian region where many German citizens have been endeavouring to acquire property for many years,” says Siekański. In the case of regions in the central and eastern areas of Poland, as well as the Silesian region, if a foreigner wants to purchase agricultural or forested land without any permit, he or she has to lease it and legally live in Poland for three years.
Gazeta Prawna

Newzar can be emailed to you directly

President to Attend Conference

Not Pleased

Lech Kaczyński, the President of Poland, has changed his mind and decided to take part in the government-organised conference celebrating the fifth anniversary of Poland’s accession to the EU. What persuaded him to attend it, though, was not the invitation sent by the PM’s chancellery, but, as he claims, talks with several European politicians which are planned to take place at the conference. It promises to be truly impressive: on April 30th, in the Palace of Culture and Science, speeches will be delivered by such well-known politicians as Jose Manuel Barroso, President of the EU Commission, Hans-Gert Pöttering, President of the EU Parliament, as well as Jacek Saryusz-Wolski, President of the EU Committee on Foreign Affairs.

According to Wprost, what upset the President was the fact that he was invited to the conference as a guest, whereas “all over the world, it is customary for the president of a given country to open all ceremonies and not simply be a guest,” claims an anonymous aide to Mr Kaczyński. However, it is not only the President who is indignant regarding the conference. Leszek Miller, Poland’s former PM, notes “It was Aleksander Kwaśniewski and I who led Poland into the EU, not Mr Tusk nor Mr Saryusz-Wolski. In fact, the latter was an MP in the government whose mistakes had to be corrected by my cabinet”. He concludes saying this is a case of “changing history”. What is more, the ceremonies will be attended neither by Mr Kwaśniewski, who also expressed his negative opinions regarding the organisation of the conference, nor by Lech Wałęsa, according to Wprost. What is the response of the government? Paweł Graś, the government spokesperson, sent journalists to the Office of the Committee for European Integration, whose officials assured the media that all persons involved in Poland’s EU accession will be honoured at the conference.
Dziennik

Newzar can be emailed to you directly