Reading Without Understanding

Understand?

According to the European Union, “over 15% of Polish fifteen-year-olds cannot read with a complete understanding of the text.” Polish people should not console themselves that this is a good result compared to the whole EU, as this will certainly lead to a backward approach to education. According to EU experts, almost 75,000,000 people and every fifth fifteen-year-old in Europe has gaps in his/her reading and writing skills, which makes it more difficult for him or her to find a job. This, of course, increases the risk of poverty and social exclusion in the future. When it comes to reading and writing among Polish pupils, the figures are extremely poor: 15% read without understanding a great deal. Statistically speaking, Polish fifteen-year-olds are somewhat better than their European counterparts due to the fact that the percentage of fifteen-year-olds (across the whole of the EU) with poor results in reading comprehension is 19.6%. The Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) survey, conducted in 2009 by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), found that these results were better than those of 2006, when 23.1% European fifteen-year-olds had problems with reading and writing. Interestingly, the skills of reading and writing differ depending on gender. In Poland, the percentage of fifteen-year-olds with poor results in reading is three times higher among boys (22.6%) than among girls (7.4%).
Gazeta Wyborcza

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Poland Takes 1st Place

Polish Roads

For 10 years, Poland has been the EU’s leader not only with regard to the number of fatalities on the roads but also regarding costs that the country bears from road tragic accidents. In 2008, one casualty ‘cost’ PLN 1.47 million. Since 2000, this amount has doubled. According to the World Bank, road accidents make up 2% of the GDP. This includes not only direct costs of the accidents themselves but also lost production possibilities of the people who have died. As statistics show, most casualties are people between the ages of 15 and 45 and 80% of are males. Therefore, Poland loses the most productive members of society. As the Independent Laboratory of Economics at the Road and Bridge Research Institute (SPE IBDiM) has calculated, 1,000 km of highway will lower the number of fatalities by 200 individuals and injured people by 1,300 a year. Traffic on highways is better organised and this, in turn, means a lower number of accidents. The experience of other EU countries shows that a decent infrastructure, speed cameras and strict fines for those who break rules can enable a significant reduction of road accidents.
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Roads Will Be Built Someday

Road to Nowhere

According to the Regional Development Ministry, the A1 highway connecting Toruń and Stryków near Łódz should have been constructed within the 2008-2010 period. “Should have been” are the key words here as construction work is yet to begin – tenders are still in progress. Chances are that the highway for which nearly PLN 2.2 billion of EU funds has been allocated will be completed by the end of 2012. Unfortunately this is just one of the many examples of road projects throughout Poland plagued by severe delays. Between 2007-2013 the EU budget for Poland, EUR 28 billion, was earmarked for the modernisation of roads, railroad lines and energy networks.

This was undoubtedly a huge figure, equal to the total subsidy amount for Italy. Approximately EUR 10 billion is to be used to pay the construction costs of new highways, expressways and ring roads. It is already clear that the EU funds are not being allocated appropriately. Huge amounts are due to be lost unless agreements related to investments that are to be carried out within the next two years are concluded in a timely manner. The delay period of several road projects already exceeds 6 months, many a few years. Some of those future investments with delayed completion deadlines will no longer be covered by EU’s 2007-2013 budget therefore new negotiations will be necessary. Why is the Regional Development Ministry issuing lists of investments with unrealistic deadlines? Are huge funds that could in theory be used immediately for emergency-type purposes such as anti-flood projects being blocked by road investments that cannot be carried out in time? Adam Zdziebło, the regional development deputy minister was not available to answer these and other questions.
Gazeta Wyborcza

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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

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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.
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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

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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

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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.
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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.
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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.”
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