Live Feed

05/23/2020

14:13

Trzaskowski in Koszalin: A White Flag is Flying Over the Presidential Palace. I Expect a Clear Stance from PAD on Supporting Local Governments and Municipal Investments for Our Common Good

Unfortunately, from all these conversations with local government officials, as well as with people, one thing is clear. The government, in these very difficult times, has left people to their own devices. And unfortunately, it has also left local governments to their own devices. The solutions proposed by the government are completely insufficient. This is because today, supporting Polish companies, fighting for every job, and supporting local governments is the government's duty, because only through this can we avoid a very deep economic crisis. And therefore, all our demands related to supporting local governments, not only by loosening spending discipline, but also through immediate, concrete aid, can help us continue our investment program, which will allow us to bypass one of the biggest crises in the global economy that is looming. We have a shield, but this shield is insufficient. It only addresses the loss of income from taxes, whereas we, as municipal corporations, have postulated the inclusion of losses from other sources of income, which is incredibly important, and we count on the government drawing conclusions from this. For the good of our entire economy. Unfortunately, a white flag is flying over the Presidential Palace. The President is not intervening at all and is not taking a stand on these very important matters. I expect President Duda to take a clear stance on supporting local governments and municipal investments for our common good – stated Rafał Trzaskowski at a press briefing in Koszalin. 


12:30

President Duda: I wish for optimism and a sense of inner strength to always be our characteristic
I am also very pleased that we can finally see each other, even if only for a moment, after such a long time. Believe me, during my five years as president, I managed to visit every county in Poland, and for me, meetings like our today's were a daily occurrence. Imagine how much I missed this while, like you, I was confined to my home. However, I am immensely happy that even though we are still wearing these masks, I hope it won't be for much longer, as I hope this coronavirus epidemic will recede and we will be able to lift the further barriers that have blocked us so far. One of these is precisely the fact that we still have to wear these masks and additional protective elements today, in order to protect each other. I hope it will soon be possible to get rid of them and that we will be able to talk normally, but I am happy nonetheless that we can be here together and also enjoy this beautiful weather – stated President Andrzej Duda in Maciejów.  I am enormously pleased that there is so much optimism. I am enormously pleased that in this difficult situation we find ourselves in, there are smiles. That's very good. Because I wish for optimism, this sense of inner strength, to always be our characteristic. I wish that thanks to this, we, as the contemporary generation, will also be able to overcome various difficulties, because Maciejowice, which was then a witness to that great battle, unfortunately an unwinnable one for Tadeusz Kościuszko and his comrades-in-arms, the insurgents, then we had over 100 years of partitions, unhappy times for Poles, because after all, there was no Polish state. But we were always able to get through these most difficult periods of our history, perhaps thanks to that optimism, faith, and resilience which we Poles have always possessed – stated President Andrzej Duda in Maciejów.

12:31

Duda:

Through Calm Work, Return to Normal Operations, Cooperation, and Wise Decisions, We Will Overcome the Crisis and Return Our Economy to Normal Development Tracks

- I am glad that these positive words I am hearing here, about strength returning, show that this has survived in us through generations and we are still like this. Thank you very much for that. This also fills me with additional optimism, and I believe that we will manage to overcome all these difficulties. And as some say, that they will fight, that they will battle. No, ladies and gentlemen, through calm work, a return to normal operations, coordination, cooperation, and wise decisions, we will overcome this crisis period and, I hope, return our economy to its normal development tracks. We will return, jobs will be back, even those that have disappeared, though I hope as few as possible have disappeared, because even today at Legpol, I heard that thanks to the anti-crisis shield, which I prepared together with the Polish government, and which we worked on in consultation with entrepreneurs, it was possible to maintain all jobs. There was downtime for a while, but the company is already returning to normal, to its normal production and distribution cycle. May it be so throughout our country, that all companies return to normal functioning, that they can continue to pursue, like Legpol, their expansion into foreign markets as well. I wish all of you this, and to all of you good luck in returning to normality. Thank you once again for this meeting - stated President Andrzej Duda in Maciejów.


14:23

Trzaskowski in Koszalin: "I'm Not Surprised That Since the President is a Mute President, with No Ideas, No Initiative, His Support is Falling. I Am Convinced That PAD Will Lose These Elections."

- Indeed, the election campaign has not yet begun. However, we see a white flag flying over the Presidential Palace and the President is not speaking out on any matter whatsoever. It took weeks of pressure for the President to comment on the drought, and when I talk to all those waiting for support, it turns out that the government has not even paid out support for the past year. It took a whole week for the President to say a single word about the scandalous behavior of the authorities at Radio Trójka. And on all other topics, we have silence. Therefore, I am not surprised that since the President is a mute president, with no ideas, no initiative, his support is falling. I am therefore convinced that President Duda will lose these elections - stated Rafał Trzaskowski at a press briefing in Koszalin.


14:28

PM on Presidential Election Date: In a Few Weeks, Probably June 28th, It Also Depends on the Senate's Work Pace

- I think that how [the elections will be conducted] is almost decided. In a mixed manner, namely in traditional elections and postal voting. We encourage everyone who feels in any way at risk, especially the elderly, but also of course all persons in quarantine, naturally, to participate via postal voting. But if someone doesn't feel such a risk, and besides, the elections will be in a few weeks, probably June 28th, it also depends on the pace of the Senate's work. As we know, the Senate has repeatedly slowed down legislative work in the last few months, and thus hindered the implementation of good solutions – stated Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki on Radio Wrocław.

- We will see what the Senate's decision will be, and here we are planning [the election date] on a working basis for the end of June – PMM continued.


14:30

PMM:

I Approach All Candidates with Humility and We Must Certainly Consider Everyone. The Mayor of Warsaw is Undoubtedly a Very Dangerous Candidate

- The [Civic Coalition candidate's] change was, of course, very strange, unusual. Withdrawing their candidate, such as Marshal Kidawa-Błońska, was certainly a shock for many Civic Platform voters and very unusual behavior. However, I approach all candidates with humility and we must certainly consider everyone. Of course, the Marshal, as the only woman among the candidates, was certainly a very dangerous competitor as well, but the Mayor of Warsaw is also undoubtedly a very dangerous candidate. I am convinced that President Andrzej Duda also approaches all candidates with great attention, and I am also convinced that he is the best candidate for Poland. For me, it is very important to be able to work with the president during the exit from the coronavirus pandemic, who is a constructive president, not a president of conflict, not an ideological president, of ideologies, and unfortunately, we must say, very extreme moral revolutions and moral experiments. I don't think that's what Poles need. That's not what Poles expect - stated Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki on Radio Wrocław.


14:35

PM Morawiecki: I Thank Szumowski for Rising to the Occasion, Making Bold Decisions, and I Reject All Accusations as Mere Fabricated Propaganda
I have more than full confidence, and I want to emphasize here that it is thanks to Minister Szumowski that we are in a much better situation today regarding the epidemic, its development, and especially the number of deaths, and especially the number of infectious disease beds available for treating people with coronavirus, compared to very wealthy Western countries. That was the time when we met as the Council of Ministers, or almost the entire Council of Ministers, and were frantically seeking ways to purchase personal protective equipment. I will remind you, because some people have very short memories. Perhaps they should open their own newspaper headlines or their own programs and recall what they were appealing for at the time. Namely, to bring in various types of personal protective equipment from all over the world. So, we did that. It was a decision preceded by verification by the services, usually, and we tried to source this personal protective equipment from all over the world. Thanks to the fact that we did this, we managed to deliver a lot of this equipment to medical facilities, social welfare homes, uniformed services, and finally also to all other centers that needed it in a very short time. I very much thank Minister Szumowski for rising to the occasion, making decisions boldly, and I reject all accusations, which are merely a fabricated propaganda stunt – stated Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki on Radio Wrocław.

14:48

PMM:

We Will Soon Reopen Remaining Border Crossings to Ease Commuting Life Back to Pre-Coronavirus Norms

- Indeed, for those individuals who commuted to work daily in April, the situation was difficult due to closed borders, as upon returning from work, they had to undergo a two-week quarantine. If they wished to continue working, they had to find accommodation, and many people did so on the other side of the border. At the beginning of May, we lifted this restriction, and the situation today is much better, but you are right to refer to the number of border crossings that are not main crossings. Because here, some people who work on the other side of the border have to make up for it sometimes by travelling many kilometers. In the near future, we will strive to reopen the remaining border crossings very quickly, soon, in order to facilitate the lives of those who commute to work, enabling them to travel in the same way as before the coronavirus pandemic – stated Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki on Radio Wrocław.