The Council of Ministers will convene at 11:00 AM to discuss a draft amendment to the act on development policy, which aims to streamline investment financing within the loan component of the National Reconstruction Plan.

At 9:00 AM, a meeting with the residents of Sieradz will commence, featuring the Mayor of Warsaw, Rafał Trzaskowski, Deputy Minister of National Defence, Cezary Tomczyk, and the candidate for Mayor of Sieradz, Michał Pabich. Following this, a press conference will be held at 9:30 AM.

At 10:00 AM, the investigative committee on the "envelope elections" will begin its session, questioning Paweł Skóra, former Director of the IT and Telecommunications Division at Poczta Polska S.A. from 2019-2020. The committee will also hear testimony from former Minister of Health, Łukasz Szumowski.

At 10:15 AM, a "one-on-one" meeting will take place between President Andrzej Duda and the President of Slovakia, Zuzana Čaputová. Subsequently, a meeting with media representatives is scheduled for 11:00 AM. Following this, the President of Slovakia will meet with the Marshal of the Sejm, Szymon Hołownia, at 2:00 PM, and with the Marshal of the Senate, Małgorzata Kidawa-Błońska, at 2:30 PM.

- According to what we have conveyed as services, more than 500 people [were wiretapped by Pegasus], just over 500 people, and we will see how the Minister of Justice frames this information, because he is the host of this document – stated Tomasz Siemoniak in the program ,,Rozmowa Piaseckiego" on TVN24.

- Certainly, there are justified cases, suspects of terrorism or counterintelligence issues, no one argues with that when it comes to security, preventing an attack. I think that public opinion accepts far-reaching actions by the services, and that's why Pegasus was created, that's why the State of Israel, Israeli companies invented it, to use it precisely in such situations, hence the subsequent withdrawal of the license – he continued.

- The prosecutor's office is investigating whether these authorizations were obtained fraudulently, in the sense that a routine operational control is one matter, and surveillance with a system like Pegasus is another, and whether judges were always aware of what tool would be used here. I believe that judges, speaking about this publicly, probably did not have full information, and also, from what judges are saying publicly, their comfort in this role is very low, there is time pressure, it's a single judge – said Tomasz Siemoniak on TVN24.

- I have the feeling that Ukraine needs to be helped with all its might, and the news from last night that the American package in the House of Representatives has a chance of being voted through is very positive information. This information is absolutely crucial, because Ukraine cannot cope without Western aid – stated Tomasz Siemoniak on TVN24.

- Exceptionally dishonest scammers from Brussels have finally returned money to Poles, which they unlawfully withheld for two years. 27 billion is around 6 billion euros, truly, hundreds of billions of euros held back by Brussels for no reason, because what has actually happened in the last 100 days? Because Tusk is in power? – stated Przemysław Czarnek during the program „Morning Conversation" on RMF FM.

- There's a stalemate in Podlasie, I'm convinced it will work out well for PiS – stated Przemysław Czarnek on the RMF FM program “Morning Conversation”.

- I'm not interested in being the chairman of PiS, never, never, never. I'm interested in continuing to function in Lublin in the position I currently hold. The successes thanks to our wonderful candidates are enormous, so we can move forward with our program - stated Przemysław Czarnek in the program "Morning Conversation" on RMF FM.

- A massive mobilization is necessary. We would like this mobilization to be as large as it was on October 15th, because these elections hold unprecedented importance. Winning in the first round is not easy at all; we have several dozen cities, almost 100 towns in Poland, where a second round is taking place. It is very important to turn out in large numbers at the polling stations, because a change is needed, a change is needed right here, in Sieradz. Michał is supported by all political forces that today co-create the government, because we are aware that cities like Sieradz must have a chance to develop well, for people to live well here, for people to want to stay in Sieradz, for them to have prospects for a good future, and above all, for them to be treated seriously - stated Rafał Trzaskowski in Sieradz.

- The issue of eavesdropping on people without authorization is simply an abuse of power. Mr. Wąsik and Mr. Kamiński were not in prison because they are from PiS; they were in prison because they are criminals. And we need to acknowledge that. If we allow people to be eavesdropped on, if systems like Pegasus are used to target citizens, it means we are ending democracy - stated Cezary Tomczyk in Sieradz.

- The report [on the use of Pegasus] has been handed over to Marshal Hołownia; parliamentarians and the special services committee will now be able to review it. But this matter is not over; it's just beginning. Many people thought that Mr. Kamiński or Mr. Wąsik, who were pardoned by the president, were in some sense a closed chapter. My intuition suggests that this is not the case - stated Cezary Tomczyk in Sieradz.

- Today we will have an unusual government meeting. In the first part, in connection with the international situation and the escalating conflict in the Middle East, I have invited the Minister Jacek Siewiera, Head of the National Security Bureau (BBN), who also represents the President, and the Generals to participate in the first part of the government meeting. With us are the Chief of the General Staff of the Polish Armed Forces, General Wiesław Kukuła, and the Operational Commander of the Branches of the Armed Forces, General Maciej Klisz. This part will, of course, be held in a restricted mode - stated Prime Minister Donald Tusk during the government meeting.

- The situation in the Middle East directly concerns our soldiers as well; they are present as participants in United Nations contingents, both in Lebanon and in Iraq. So, this is a sufficient reason to obtain detailed information today about the situation of our soldiers. However, as is known, the broader context is equally important, if not more so, concerning Poland's security in the perspective of the escalating conflict. Therefore, I will be asking for an assessment of this situation from the Generals and the Minister, as well as from Prime Minister Kosiniak-Kamysz, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the coordinating minister - the Prime Minister continued.

- With emotion, I welcomed Ms. Zuzanna Čaputová today because, in reality, this is a farewell visit; Madam President is nearing the end of her term and will conclude her duties in June (...) today presents an opportunity for us to summarize, in light of this, five years of cooperation between our countries and building maximum security in our part of Europe and the world. It also entails strengthening economic prosperity in our part of Europe, which, despite many difficulties, we have managed to achieve, and for me, this is a great occasion to thank Madam President wholeheartedly - stated President Andrzej Duda during his remarks to the media after meeting with the President of the Slovak Republic.

- Most of all, I thank you for building this regional cooperation of ours, because it has been of immense significance. Thank you for Madam President always actively working within the Visegrad Group, thank you for Slovakia's active contribution to cooperation within the Three Seas Initiative; I am very grateful for that - he added.

- For years, we have been building an air defense system based primarily on the Patriot system, for which we signed agreements a very long time ago. If I remember correctly, it was probably in 2016 when we signed the contract for the delivery of Patriot systems (...) they will, of course, continue to be delivered to our country - stated President Andrzej Duda during a media briefing.

- The project, as far as I understand the one you are talking about, the dome over Europe, is a German business project that emerged two years ago, so it is relatively new compared to what we started building, it is something completely different. I understand that the Prime Minister is considering potentially joining this system, because I cannot imagine us abandoning the project we have been building for years, based on the Wisła system, Patriot missiles, which are currently being delivered to Poland, and the Pilica system, which is actually ready (...) and suddenly entering a new system - he added.

- We must be aware that today Poland is in a more difficult situation than it could be, partly due to the decision made by Minister Macierewicz, because we are paying a terrible price for what happened at the beginning of the PiS government's tenure. This was when Mr. Macierewicz was the head of the Ministry of National Defence. In 2015, at the end of our government's term, the decision was made to purchase Patriots. This was questioned by Minister Macierewicz and instead of 8 batteries, an agreement was eventually signed for 2 batteries, which was then done by Minister Błaszczak, but long years passed. The same happened with the tender procedure for armed drones of such tactical importance, and Antoni Macierewicz also annulled the ongoing tender procedures - stated Prime Minister Donald Tusk at a press conference at the Chancellery of the Prime Minister.

- Our task today is to leverage every opportunity, every ally, every installation to arm Poland's skies in such a way that Poland is safe. This is not possible in the short term, but to make it possible as Israel is today from the sky's perspective, so as not to be as threatened as Ukraine - stated Prime Minister Donald Tusk at a press conference at the Chancellery of the Prime Minister.

- I want to reassure everyone. Today, we are at a stage where, in Europe, as you've noticed, I've been speaking extensively with presidents and prime ministers in recent weeks. Everyone is coming to Warsaw, and the former Prime Minister of Great Britain will also be here shortly. We are cooperating very closely with them regarding our air defense capabilities and discussing how to make this fragmented Europe, including in terms of defending our skies, more integrated, so that these systems are not competitive - stated Prime Minister Donald Tusk at a press conference at the Chancellery of the Prime Minister (KPRM).

- Therefore, we will also cooperate within the European Sky Shield initiative, the European air shield, and it doesn't bother me at all, to be absolutely clear, that Germany was a main initiator of this initiative - he continued.

- Today I call on everyone, without exception, not to look at their own interests or careers on security, nor to favor any party or individual ideas. Here, we must be absolutely solidary and also focused around our military, and no political sympathies should play a role here, and it is extremely important to build a positive atmosphere around Poland - stated Prime Minister Donald Tusk at a press conference at the Chancellery of the Prime Minister.

- We are committed to our relationship with the United States, with all spheres, with the politicians who are making decisions in the United States today. We are, of course, interested in meetings with influential people in the United States as well. We are talking with a man who was the President of the United States for four years, during which we cooperated, and we know each other well. It is not a new situation for me to meet with my friends who have held presidential office and with whom I have conducted Polish affairs on the international stage. (...) If the opportunity arises, as it depends on the schedule, I will also meet socially with President Donald Trump. There was an initial understanding about this in New York - President Andrzej Duda said at a press briefing before departing for the USA.

Next Tuesday – the day before the Sejm's second April session – the extraordinary committee tasked with considering draft laws concerning the right to abortion will convene. Its agenda will be to review a motion to adopt a resolution regarding public hearings on the matter. In total, there are 4 draft proposals, two authored by Lewica and one each by KO and Trzecia Droga.

Thus far, the committee has met once – on the day of its establishment last week – to elect its presidium.

Mateusz Morawiecki odpowiada jako były premier za sprowadzenie setek tysięcy przybyszów z Afryki i Azji do Polski. Dziś usiłuje nieudolnie zagrać rolę twardziela w sprawie migracji. Mateuszu, od kłamstwa gorsze jest tylko głupie kłamstwo.

— Donald Tusk (@donaldtusk) April 16, 2024

- I think there is still room to persuade the president to sign this bill. I think what is important is that this week the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights of the OSCE issued its opinion on the bill. This is a very important institution that opines in various unusual situations, and the OSCE has indicated that such an exceptional solution to rectify the situation in the National Council of the Judiciary is permissible from the perspective of international standards - stated Adam Bodnar on TVN24.

- On April 25th, the Venice Commission will be in Poland and we will see what opinion they issue. Perhaps, I hope, it will be a positive opinion, perhaps an opinion suggesting some modifications, and maybe that will convince the president - stated Adam Bodnar on TVN24.

- We are ready, it's a very smooth transition from the local government campaign, practically from one day to the next into the European campaign, which is extremely important for two reasons, and I wanted to emphasize that. Our security, that EP, which is ending its term, already had a security problem once in the form of health, thanks to Poles, a health committee was established, which I headed, or a committee to fight cancer, which I also headed, but this security today is also expanding to include military security and the security of our citizens. The EP will play a huge role, and we cannot send people like Kamiński or Wąsik there, because it will not only be a disgrace, but they will harm Poland – said Bartosz Arłukowicz on TVN24.

- An ark is being constructed there to shelter and transport all those who might have to face the Prosecutor General and charges. Let's be serious, Mr. Editor, please do not compare these two things at all. Because today it is important that the Polish representation in the EP, especially that in the EPP, has a large group, so that we can have an influence on what is happening in the EU – stated Piotr Zgorzelski in the program "Fakty po faktach" on TVN24.