As we wrote on 300POLITYKA, today Prime Minister Morawiecki will present a comprehensive project of solidarity with Belarus in the Sejm, a project he will discuss with Pompeo, among others. He will also come forward with a new political proposal for the European Union.

A supplementary, one-day Sejm session will begin at 10:00 AM with the first reading of a government bill on a special compensation benefit for anti-communist opposition activists and persons repressed for political reasons.

At 11:15 AM, the Sejm's committee will hold the first reading of the so-called bill submitted by PiS, which would lift the responsibility of officials for actions taken during the epidemic. The second reading is scheduled for 1:00 PM, and the adoption in a block of votes between 2:00 PM and 5:00 PM.

It is also possible that a bill to increase salaries, among others for parliamentarians, will be included in the agenda – the proposal was adopted by the regulations committee yesterday evening and already has a Sejm print number.

At 5:00 PM, the Sejm will hear information on the activities of the Ombudsman and the state of adherence to freedoms and human and civil rights in 2019. The session, according to the plan, will conclude at 6:30 PM.

President Andrzej Duda will participate in the celebrations of the Polish Army Day on the Centenary of the Battle of Warsaw. At 10:30 AM, a ceremony for the awarding of general nominations will take place at the Presidential Palace. At 12:00 PM – the opening ceremony of the new building of the Józef Piłsudski Museum in Sulejówek, and at 7:00 PM – the Roll Call of Remembrance before the Monument to the Fallen in 1920 at the military cemetery in Powązki.

At 11:30 AM, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki will participate in the opening of the A2 motorway section – Lubelska junction. Meanwhile, at 12:00 PM, a press conference by the Minister of National Education, Dariusz Piontkowski, will be held on the topic of "important changes in exams".

- This is a matter of our particular concern. The embassy is working on it, but the Prime Minister himself is also directly involved. He recently spoke with Ms. Andżelika Borys. The Union of Poles in Belarus is a very important organization, and we also want to ensure that absolutely nothing bad happens to those individuals who belong to the Union, and in general to Poles who have been living in Belarus for years. Therefore, the embassy and our diplomatic missions are paying particularly close attention to this,” said Piotr Müller in an interview with Katarzyna Gójska on the program “Sygnały dnia” on Polish Radio One.

- I spoke with Prime Minister Morawiecki, we are suggesting an urgent video conference of European Council members. I can't wait. Belarusians need our swift assistance. Elections in Belarus must be repeated, transparently and in the presence of foreign observers – the Czech Prime Minister wrote on Twitter.

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- Negotiations are ongoing, that's true. Let's also remember that the short, but for the public administration, holiday period is about to begin. Therefore, it is natural that at the beginning of September we will return to certain structural and personal details, which is why I say that the announcement of the results of these talks may simply end up in the second half of September, at the beginning of October - said Piotr Müller on Jedynka radio.

- The situation is very dynamic. As long as it's not necessary, we don't want to introduce restrictions that are disproportionate to the scale of the threat. While specific restrictions are currently in place for countries outside the EU, particularly concerning quarantine, we do not wish to introduce stricter measures for territories within EU countries if it's not necessary – said Piotr Müller on Radio One. 

„When it comes to salaries for those holding the highest state positions, including parliamentarians, we have an absolute mess here. I was truly shocked by the news that the treasurer of the city of Warsaw earns three times as much as the finance minister in our country. There must be political agreement across divisions here. Responsibility also brings financial consequences” - said presidential minister Andrzej Dera in an interview with Radomir Wit on TVN24.

- You are correctly defining the situation in our neighbor. Never before in Belarus's history, in recent decades, have there been, firstly, such strong social emotions, such large demonstrations by ordinary people, because let's remember, this is not an organized opposition with a single leader; these are truly grassroots, spontaneous, large demonstrations, and that's one aspect. The second, unprecedented matter is that something is clearly changing. The release of so many previously detained individuals last night, some sort of apology for the first time offered to those who were incidentally beaten – this kind of situation has never occurred before. The situation is truly very dynamic, and I think today there is no one who could say in which direction this crisis will turn, but one thing is certain. Never before has the situation in Belarus been so close to change as it is these days – stated Michał Dworczyk in an interview with Piotr Witwicki on Polsat News's "Graffiti".

- Today in the Sejm, Prime Minister Morawiecki will present the government program to support repressed individuals and civil society, "Solidarni z Białorusią" (United with Belarus). These are various kinds of facilitations. I am talking about a governmental, Polish program that Prime Minister Morawiecki will present in the Sejm today. These are facilitations in aid for the repressed, for those expelled from universities, aid for those people who want to travel to Poland due to repression - stated Michał Dworczyk on Polsat News' "Graffiti".

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The parliamentary committee on public finance will indeed deal with the proposal during its first reading today, but the Sejm has not agreed to apply the provision from the Sejm's rules of procedure that allows for shortening the legislative process and proceeding to the second reading immediately after the MPs receive the committee's report.

In practice, as informed by Marshal Witek, the Sejm will not adopt the bill today, and its consideration will take place at the next sitting. "After the report is delivered, we will process it at the next Sejm sitting," said Elżbieta Witek.

PiS lost the vote because as many as 46 MPs did not participate in it. Only 178 MPs voted "for," and 201 voted against.

The proposal submitted by PiS this week concerns "introducing a solution that will allow for the exclusion of unlawfulness of an act consisting of the breach of official duties or other regulations by a person acting to prevent and combat the infectious disease COVID-19, and extending the validity of the provision that forms the basis for ordering an employee to perform remote work."

- I wish you gentlemen every success on this path. I believe that you will fulfill all the hopes placed in you. Once again, from the bottom of my heart, thank you for your service so far and I wish you luck. May these appointments on the eve of the Polish Army's holiday, on the eve of the centenary of the Battle of Warsaw, be a symbol of its development for the entire Polish army. This is the largest general appointment ceremony I have participated in so far. This is my first general appointment ceremony after taking office as President of the Republic of Poland for a second term. I am glad that I too am starting in such a symbolic, meaningful, and at the same time joyful way. I congratulate the generals wholeheartedly – said President Andrzej Duda during the ceremony of presenting general appointments.

The Ministry of Health has issued a clarification regarding the number of new COVID-19 infections reported today. According to the latest update, the correct figure is 832, not the previously stated 825. This correction was announced via the official Ministry of Health Twitter account: https://twitter.com/MZ_GOV_PL/status/1294206289690669056

“For over twenty years, since the salaries of individuals holding the highest state positions were set, they have been lowered twice, and also reduced – for instance, the VIP card for medical treatment was also abolished. Today, they are not even two average salaries. The proposal meets the expectation for the state to be modest, but for salaries to be reasonably reflective of what is happening in the market” – Minister Marek Suski said in the Sejm. 

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"Nobody is speaking up because fake news has already spread that we have a nationwide 'Let's love each other!' like in the finale of 'Pan Tadeusz'. When there's talk of raises, everyone has gained decisiveness, vigor. There's no topic for discussion. I understand this, because it is indeed a scandal that a Member of Parliament cannot properly pay people they would wish to engage in work for the good of the Republic. Meritoriously, there is no dispute" – Grzegorz Braun of Konfederacja said in the Sejm.

During the parliamentary debate on the draft bill, no representative from Civic Platform (KO), The Left (Lewica), or the Polish People's Party (PSL) spoke in the discussion.

- He was a very difficult figure. He was a very decisive man. He was a strong man, but if he hadn't been, he wouldn't have managed to rebuild the Polish state. I have no doubt that finally, Marshal Józef Piłsudski has a monument in the form of a museum. Among the hundreds of monuments we have erected, the figures of the Marshal, his busts, his depictions scattered throughout our country, finally, there is a museum. As the director said, not only showcasing history and being an extremely important place for education about the Second Polish Republic, but above all, for patriotic education, which for me personally is the greatest happiness – said President Andrzej Duda during the opening ceremony of the new building of the Józef Piłsudski Museum in Sulejówek.

- Today, we call on the Belarusian authorities to consider new, free elections. These elections must be fair and authentic, preferably with the participation of international observers - stated Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki in the Sejm. 

- Citizens of Belarus do not need vague assurances or platitudes today. They need concrete actions. And Poland has this concrete plan, a plan of solidarity with Belarus. We intend to allocate PLN 50 million in the first step to implement this program, in addition to the funds we already allocate to various programs, such as Biełsat television – said Mateusz Morawiecki during his speech in the Sejm.

- I proposed to our EU partners an extraordinary session of the European Council, and today more and more leaders of Western countries are joining this very demand, this call - stated Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki in the Sejm.

The Sejm has adopted amendments to certain laws concerning the remuneration of persons holding public office and amendments to the law on political parties, effectively increasing the salaries of, among others, the most important state officials and parliamentarians, including remuneration for the President's spouse, as well as increasing subsidies for political parties.

The Senate session, which was scheduled to conclude today, has been extended to Monday and Tuesday – it is currently unknown whether the upper house will address the pay raises at that time.

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- It appears that President Lukashenko is choosing between the Ceausescu or Gaddafi scenario. Yet, he could have chosen differently, for example, Jaruzelski – said Witold Waszczykowski in an interview with Bogdan Rymanowski on the program “Gość Wydarzeń” (Guest of Events) on Polsat News.

"I flew with a delegation [to Minsk] and unfortunately, neither I nor the rapporteur for Belarus from Lithuania were allowed into Belarus. Unfortunately, no reason was given. We were simply detained. I flew to Minsk and was not allowed in upon arrival in Minsk. This is likely a provocation by Alexander Lukashenka and his authorities. Completely unnecessary, as it will significantly complicate the situation. Events of this nature do not go unnoticed and demonstrate that Lukashenka and his regime likely have something to hide if they fear this visit" - stated MEP Robert Biedroń, who attempted to enter Minsk as the head of the European Parliament delegation, in a phone conversation with Katarzyna Kolenda-Zaleska on TVN24.  

„I deeply believe that the principle will prevail that the Office of the Ombudsman should remain apolitical, it should be a no man's land. I believe that this idea, which is promoted by social organizations and in which I deeply believe, will win and will also convince the ruling majority” - said Zuzanna Rudzińska-Bluszcz, the candidate of non-governmental organizations for the Ombudsman, in an interview with Katarzyna Kolenda-Zaleska on TVN24's „Fakty po Faktach”.

„I believe we have a democracy in Poland, however, I think there are serious doubts regarding some legislative changes that have been made in recent years. I am a state official. I am not a political commentator. If I were running for a parliamentary seat, I could say black is black and white is white. I am a civil servant, so I must see many shades of grey. For example, the way the judicial reform was conducted, all the reforms concerning the Constitutional Tribunal, and changes to the Supreme Court raise the biggest doubts from a constitutional perspective” - Zuzanna Rudzińska-Bluszcz, the candidate of non-governmental organizations for the Ombudsman, said on TVN24.

„I do not consent to hatred in the public sphere, including homophobic hatred, which we have been witnessing for a long time in the public sphere. We are dealing with two issues. The first is the protection of minorities in Poland in general. Single parents raising children, people living on the edge of poverty, or people with disabilities are also minorities. The standard of protection for these minorities is the responsibility of the state in a democratic society. It is an entirely different matter that the legal regulations are not adapted to protect all groups in accordance with the principle of equality before the law against hatred” – said Zuzanna Rudzińska-Bluszcz, the candidate of non-governmental organizations for the Ombudsman, in an interview with TVN24.