The President will today make a decision regarding the amendment to the Supreme Court Act. We hear that the President will sign the bill. The amendment proposed by PiS reverses the so-called 'pension purge,' meaning it reinstates Supreme Court judges, including Małgorzata Gersdorf.

The funeral of MP Jolanta Szczypińska will take place today in Słupsk. The ceremony will be official in nature. The participation of high-ranking state officials is foreseen. The funeral Holy Mass will be celebrated at 11:30. Immediately after, there will be a procession to the municipal cemetery.

Starting today, the Prime Minister will participate in the High-Level Forum Africa-Europe. Heads of state and government from numerous African and European countries, representatives of the world's largest companies, as well as innovative entrepreneurs and institutions interested in cooperation will participate in the event. The President of the European Parliament and the President of the European Commission have also confirmed their participation. At 19:00, the Prime Minister will attend a dinner hosted by the Chancellor of Austria. 

- This formation [PiS] has always been European and has never said anything else. Poland at the heart of Europe is the message, in fact, since the 2015 elections - stated Jadwiga Emilewicz in an interview with Konrad Piasecki on TVN24's "Rozmowa Piaseckiego". She added:

"Not radically, I insist, not radically [PiS is changing its language]. We have been saying this from the beginning. I will remind you of the convention in 2015, in July, in Katowice, when the United Right camp presented its program before the elections. Konrad Szymański then defined our basic goals on stage, and there was a very large panel concerning Europe. He said that the European mainstream is here today, and we were not mistaken."

- We are not, forgive me, sheep being led to the slaughter. We are talking about the foundations of European unity today. We are playing within those foundations. European unity is a value. Not an absolute one, because today it needs to be re-articulated, in light of threats and changing geopolitics - stated Jadwiga Emilewicz in an interview with Konrad Piasecki on TVN24's "Rozmowa Piaseckiego".

- Being in the EU today is in Poland's state interest, and this has always been repeated, in various forms, by the political leaders of the United Right camp - she added.

- We have heard unequivocally, I think, from the most important people in the state, that the government is doing everything to reduce the risks associated with objective premises influencing the increase in energy prices. That this increase will not happen, and this is a clear declaration from the president, the prime minister, and Minister Tchórzewski - stated Jadwiga Emilewicz in an interview with Konrad Piasecki on TVN24's "Rozmowa Piaseckiego".

- Let's give Minister Tchórzewski time. I remind you that the President of URE has asked companies for an answer, and they have until December 18th to respond. This means that from January 1st [2019], there will be no new tariffs because the President of URE will not manage to establish them, and therefore, we will enter the new year with old tariffs. This will be the first thing where the promise of no increase will be fulfilled - she added.

- Yes, indeed. Right after this broadcast, I'm going to Słupsk for Jola Szczypińska's funeral. She was an extraordinary person, always smiling, kind, and open to others. Very committed to her duties. Yes, a good person. Very hardworking. She battled illness for years, and unfortunately, the illness proved stronger - stated Mariusz Błaszczak in an interview with Beata Lubecka on Radio Zet.

- I am surprised [by MP Pawłowicz's decision]. Indeed, I have seen this information. I had not heard about it before - stated Mariusz Błaszczak in an interview with Beata Lubecka on Radio Zet. - We are a party with very broad limits on freedom of speech. We do not want to hide anyone [before the EP elections] - he added.

- No, [Zbigniew Ziobro's position in the government] is not threatened. Of course, I do not decide on the composition of the government, but we form a team, we work together. Last week in the Sejm, a vote of confidence, which Prime Minister Morawiecki requested from the Sejm, was voted on twice, he received such confidence, then a vote of no confidence, with quite a funny speech, because I think it was a frivolous speech, funny in the sense of a frivolous speech by Schetyna. It was in its entirety, he was shouting, it was visible that he was very nervous. Probably because he promised a lot in that speech, and meanwhile, the day before Trzaskowski, a significant politician of PO in Warsaw, withdrew his promises, more than that, his decisions. Platforma deceived Varsovians. First, they raised the discount to 98%, and then, a few weeks after the elections, they reduced it to 60% - stated Mariusz Błaszczak in an interview with Beata Lubecka on Radio Zet. - The Voivode should, in accordance with current law, assess this decision regarding its legality. I do not know what the Voivode's assessment will be - he added.

- I haven't heard that the [European Parliament] lists are ready. I can say directly that the PiS leadership has not made any decisions regarding the EP lists, so all of that is still ahead of us. The EP elections will be at the end of May, so everything is still ahead of us - stated Mariusz Błaszczak in an interview with Beata Lubecka on Radio Zet.

- I don't expect a surprise. In accordance with our law and constitution, the president will sign this bill. There is no delay, nor any danger of exceeding the deadline - stated Jacek Czaputowicz in an interview with Piotr Witwicki on Polsat News' "Polityczne Graffiti," when asked about President Duda's decision today concerning the amendment to the Supreme Court Act.

„President Kaczyński should focus on electricity prices, because his party has been in a strange state of confusion for several weeks, with promises, statements, and retractions. In this attack on Rafał Trzaskowski, because the subservient, pro-government media immediately jumped on it, I see an attempt at revenge for Trzaskowski winning the elections in Warsaw. PiS, which is in huge trouble and is clearly on a downward spiral, is trying to turn this into a weapon” - said Tomasz Siemoniak, Vice-Chairman of Civic Platform (PO), in an interview with Dominika Wielowieyska on TOK FM Radio's Morning program.

„I believe in Rafał Trzaskowski, I believe that in the coming days he will explain [the matter of property discounts in Warsaw” - he added.

- Poles are dying in terrorist attacks because of previous incidents in Berlin, Nice, and Great Britain. We are a safe country on our own territory, but terrorist attacks in Europe also affect our citizens. This is sad - stated Jacek Czaputowicz in a conversation with Piotr Witwicki on Polsat News' "Polityczne Graffiti". He added:

"This terrorist attack indicates that something is not right in France. The same goes for the protests in recent weeks. Macron's withdrawal from state reforms. This is sad because France is the sick man of Europe, dragging the continent down. Poland, on the other hand, is the bright spot. If someone is lecturing us at this moment, then something is wrong. One must first clean up their own country."

- Jola commanded respect with her attitude, full of kindness and a complete absence of aggression. There are very few such people in politics today. Jola found her place in it through her own hard work. It might have seemed that at the moment of her birth, she was destined for a very humble life, in which nothing particularly important would happen. However, through force of will, energy, and courage – because she was also courageous – she changed that life, engaging in good deeds. First, in the fight for Poland, for 'Solidarity.' Later, in the fight to make that Poland better – that was the essence of the actions of Porozumienie Centrum, and later Law and Justice. She was always completely loyal to us, to the party, but she also commanded respect through her various actions – let's remember her demonstration about not receiving medication; it was serious because other equally ill people were not receiving medication. There was truly a great deal of goodness and determination in her. This commanded respect even from people who, from a political standpoint, might have disliked her intensely – stated Jarosław Kaczyński in an interview with Łukasz Mężyk on Radio Koszalin, remembering the late Member of Parliament Jolanta Szczypińska.

"The court reinstated these names because the PiS voivode conducted the whole process unprofessionally. I do not accept such blackmail, that if a cause is just, then procedures, rules, and regulations do not hold significant weight. Now is the time for the Warsaw City Council to re-examine the entire matter. President Lech Kaczyński, Zbigniew Romaszewski, KOR – such individuals and institutions absolutely deserve to have streets named after them in Warsaw, but not in an atmosphere of noise, mistakes, and shortcuts. If we agree to this, then in the future, some other authority will change various things according to their own model" – said the Vice-Chairman of Civic Platform (PO), Tomasz Siemoniak, in an interview with Dominika Wielowieyska on TOK FM Radio's Morning program.

- Jola had a quality of being a good person, and at the same time, one could say, 'forward-thinking,' someone who pursues a goal in life and achieves it, and that goal was a good one. It was a good goal in a national, in a social dimension; she was, after all, very socially conscious. She cared about those in Poland who had it worse starting to fare better. Of course, she spoke here about healthcare, about her colleagues, whose situation is now better, but it used to be truly dire - stated Jarosław Kaczyński in an interview with Łukasz Mężyk on Radio Koszalin, remembering the late MP Jolanta Szczypińska. He added:

"In short, she was someone who did a lot of good and simultaneously found self-fulfillment in it. That's unusual, because today there's immense self-absorption, the 'me, me, me' attitude. She wasn't one of those 'me, me, me' types. She belonged to those who truly found their place in life where the desire, natural to every person, to achieve something, merged with activity for the public good, and in a broader sense, for the entire society, the entire nation, and in a narrower sense, related to healthcare, related to matters concerning Słupsk, her small homeland, which she never left and where she wanted to be."

- I think Professor Pawłowicz isn't going anywhere. For now, she's staying hidden – we have European elections coming up, and PiS's love for the EU is growing. I don't believe she's leaving. I assume she'll change her mind after the European elections. We remember: Antoni Macierewicz was supposed to be a regular MP, and after the elections, reality completely changed. If PiS were to hide all their controversial politicians, hardly anyone would be left there. Almost every one of these politicians dismantled Polish democracy and marginalized us in the EU - stated Marcin Kierwiński in an interview with Marek Kacprzak on WP's "Tłit" program.

- We haven't discussed personnel matters yet. Personally, I believe Hanna Gronkiewicz-Waltz is a very important person for the Warsaw electorate. It's worth utilizing her knowledge, experience, and popularity. HGW is the author of a great civilizational leap in Warsaw and a co-author of Trzaskowski's success - stated Marcin Kierwiński in an interview with Marek Kacprzak on WP's "Tłit" program.

- I am not the 'Vice-President of Warsaw'. I love these analyses about who controls whom, who depends on whom. Voters decide - he added. When asked if he travels around Warsaw handing out positions, the PO politician replied: - If I can help Trzaskowski because I know Warsaw well, I will gladly help. But he is always number one.

President Andrzej Duda has posthumously awarded Jolanta Irena Szczypińska the Commander's Cross with Star of the Order of Polonia Restituta for outstanding achievements in state and public activities beneficial to the country, and for her work towards democratic transformations in Poland. PAD presented the order to Barbara Szczypińska during the funeral ceremonies in Słupsk on Monday.

https://twitter.com/KancelariaSejmu/status/1074621655282925569

"For many of us, including myself, the MP was our friend, Jola. Jola was someone who did not agree to have her life determined by her place of birth, various social limitations, everything that was once defined as everyday determinism. And she chose the best path for this disagreement. It was the path of fighting for good, for the good of the Homeland, for the good of the people, for justice, for Poland to be better, happier, and above all, free. She began this path even before 1980, later she was an activist of "Solidarity", underground, a person severely persecuted even when persecutions were already subsiding in Poland. It was then that I first heard her name" - said PiS leader Jarosław Kaczyński during the funeral of Jolanta Szczypińska.

"Throughout her time, she worked with full determination on all matters she undertook. She was primarily involved in healthcare, but most of all, she was simply dedicated to helping ordinary people, with whom she felt solidarity, showing great empathy. This was her special trait, because Jolanta Szczypińska, Jola, was an exceptionally good person, also in that personal dimension" - he added.

„She retained courage and dignity until the very end. And she was relentless in her endeavor – helping others. All those who knew her and bid her farewell in recent days know this perfectly well. Even her former political opponents, who had different visions and views than hers, know this. They respected it and expressed it recently, for which I thank them from the bottom of my heart” – said President Andrzej Duda during the funeral of Jolanta Szczypińska.

„I also thank Ms. Deputy for her beautiful life. But above all, I thank her for her service to Poland and to its people. And for everything she has done over the years of her service in "Solidarity", her service as a deputy – for the last almost 15 years” - he added.

https://twitter.com/MorawieckiM/status/1074672917772992512

The General Court of the Court of Justice of the European Union (ECJ) has upheld its previous decision to suspend certain provisions of the Polish Supreme Court Act.

This ruling is a significant development in the ongoing dispute between Poland and the European Union over the rule of law and judicial independence in Poland. The suspended provisions are those that the European Commission argued undermined the independence of Polish judges, particularly concerning the disciplinary regime for Supreme Court judges.

The ECJ's initial decision to suspend these provisions was made in October 2018, following a request from the European Commission. The Commission had argued that the changes to the Supreme Court Act, which included lowering the retirement age for judges and creating a new disciplinary chamber, violated EU law and threatened the judicial independence of Poland.

The Polish government had contested the ECJ's jurisdiction and the legality of the suspension. However, today's ruling by the General Court reaffirms the Court's authority in such matters and confirms that the challenged provisions remain suspended.

This decision is likely to further intensify the political tensions between Poland and the EU, and it remains to be seen how the Polish government will respond to this latest judicial setback.

- President Andrzej Duda, by decisions made on December 13th, has made a change effective December 14th in the position of the President's representative in the Polish Financial Supervision Authority (KNF), recalling the current representative, Zdzisław Sokal, and appointing Cezary Kochalski to this role - informed the Presidential Chancellery.

"The above is dictated by changes to the Act of July 21, 2006, on the supervision of the financial market, made by the Act of November 9, 2018, on amending certain acts in connection with strengthening supervision over the financial market and protecting investors in this market (Journal of Laws of 2018, item 2243), which partially entered into force on December 14, 2018. This amendment, in particular, introduces a representative of the Bank Guarantee Fund to the composition of the Financial Supervision Authority, with an advisory vote"

- A little more and the leader will again be addressing our Russian brothers. The plan is obvious. Only fools would fall for it. We'll see [if anyone falls for it]. It's completely unbelievable after three years of such a ride against the EU, and I believe it goes against the very essence of PiS, because PiS is a nationalist party. It believes that the national, state level is the highest level of loyalty and the highest level of advocating for Polish interests. I believe they are deeply mistaken, because there are Polish interests, for example, being able to travel freely within the Schengen zone, or advocating for the climate or our security, which cannot be guaranteed to the nation at the national level. That is why international cooperation is needed - stated Radosław Sikorski in an interview with Justyna Pochanke on TVN24's "Fakty po faktach".

https://twitter.com/PR24_pl/status/1074738702260289536

- This is a very interesting test at the moment. Polls clearly show that if the opposition unites, it will win. If it doesn't unite, it will lose. I'm starting to like Marshal Borowski's idea of having all parties on one list in all constituencies maintain the same position so that they can preserve their identity. Because I demand one thing from the opposition leaders: that this time not a single vote for democracy, the rule of law, and Europe be lost - stated Radosław Sikorski in an interview with Justyna Pochanke on TVN24's "Fakty po faktach".

“I don’t believe in reason. There is significant societal division. Consequently, voter turnout is high. PiS loses from high turnout. Mrs. Gersdorf is returning. ‘We made a mistake here. We overdid it.’ The European Union? ‘We were too harsh. We will now be nice and polite. Professor Pawłowicz will no longer run. We don’t really see Mr. Macierewicz. Mr. Sokal? We’ll withdraw him, because that’s probably no longer a good card.’ If [Sokal’s presence in the KNF] didn’t burden them, [the president] wouldn’t have withdrawn him, they would have supported him” - said the leader of the Democratic Left Alliance (SLD), Włodzimierz Czarzasty, in an interview with Bogdan Rymanowski on “Wydarzenia i opinie” on Polsat News.

- I didn't particularly breathe a sigh of relief. I expected such a decision. It was a project that enjoyed significant support in our political camp. The President had previously sent signals, I don't know if he personally commented on the matter, but his ministers did, that he favored this project to amend the Act on the Supreme Court. It's a more expected decision – stated Adam Bielan in an interview with Monika Olejnik on "Kropka nad i" on TVN24, when asked about the President's decision regarding the amendment to the Act on the Supreme Court.

„The opposition lacks a single, very strong and committed leader. This means that each party, within its capabilities, has leaders with better support, except for PO, than the ratings of that party” - said the head of SLD, Włodzimierz Czarzasty, in an interview with Bogdan Rymanowski on „Wydarzenia i opinie” (Events and Opinions) on Polsat News.

- This is not a matter of admitting a mistake. We still believe we have many valid points in this dispute with the European Commission, but we have emphasized from the beginning that we will recognize the CJEU's ruling. When the preliminary decision on interim measures was made, because the final judgment may come after many months, although in our opinion this complaint should have been withdrawn from the court, as the subject of the dispute has disappeared... We have fulfilled all the conditions that the court set out in its interim measures. From the start, we said that if the court [CJEU] made such a decision, we would comply with it. I would compare it to a situation where a citizen leaves court, convinced they were right, but the court's verdict did not go their way. However, that verdict must be respected - stated Adam Bielan in an interview with Monika Olejnik on TVN24's "Kropka nad i". - We still believe that, according to the treaty, shaping the justice system falls under the exclusive competence of Member States - added the Deputy Marshal of the Senate.

"It's hard to be surprised that we'd have 40% [support] now, and I'd have 50%, if we've been out of parliament for three years" - said the leader of the Democratic Left Alliance (SLD), Włodzimierz Czarzasty, in an interview with Bogdan Rymanowski on "Wydarzenia i opinie" on Polsat News.