-- GAWKOWSKI A WITNESS FOR NOW - GRAŻYNA ZAWADKA, IZABELA KACPRZAK IN RZ: “Służby sprawdzają, czy wicepremier Krzysztof Gawkowski dochował należytej staranności przy kupnie samochodu, który – jak się okazało – był kradziony. Póki co jest on świadkiem. (...) Pierwsza wątpliwość: z ustaleń śledztwa wynika, że numer VIN miał być przerobiony w dostrzegalny „gołym okiem” sposób – niektóre litery i cyfry były pogrubione, co już powinno wzbudzić wątpliwości. Z kolei cenę za tego typu auto, o jakiej mówi minister – 100 tys. zł (rok produkcji: 2021) – można uznać za atrakcyjną. Na portalach samochodowych są wyższe – średnio o kilka do ok. 20 tys. zł i więcej”. https://www.rp.pl/polityka/art40272731-wicepremier-krzysztof-gawkowski-kupil-kradziony-samochod-na-razie-jest-swiadkiem -- TUSK: TODAY I WOULD SAY WITH FULL CONVICTION – DO YOU WANT PEACE? PREPARE FOR ELECTIONS - 300LIVE: https://300polityka.pl/live/2024/04/30/ -- UKRAINE IN THE EUROPEAN UNION IS NOT MORE RISKY THAN OTHER COUNTRIES - KAROLINA WIGURA IN KULTURA LIBERALNA: “The simple answer is that the European Union can set conditions for future member states, but no one can be sure that after fulfilling them, each state will remain a liberal democracy for good. This does not only apply to countries of the so-called Eastern enlargement, of which we are beneficiaries. There is no decisive exam for a good European, nor a decisive vaccine against national populism. The only thing we can say is that each country must meet specific conditions to become a member of the EU, but in the case of every country, situations may arise where they deviate from pro-European and liberal democracies.” -- THE ONLY QUESTION IS WHETHER UKRAINIANS, WHO HAVE SEEN ENOUGH OF THE COMPLICATED AND SLOW EU PROCEDURES, WILL NOT SAY THAT THE UNION ITSELF MUST CHANGE FIRST FOR MEMBERSHIP TO BE OF ANY INTEREST – WIGURA CONTINUES: “However, these considerations are rather theoretical, while Ukraine's membership in the EU here and now could literally save many lives. It is probably better, therefore, to stick with the first, simpler answer. The only question is whether Ukrainians, who have seen enough of the complicated and slow EU procedures, will not say that the Union itself must change first for membership to be of any interest to them. But that is a topic for a completely different commentary.” https://kulturaliberalna.pl/2024/04/30/ukraina-w-unii-europejskiej-nie-jest-bardziej-ryzykowna-niz-inne-panstwa/ -- WHEN YOU LISTEN TO THE HEAD OF PIŚ TODAY, THERE CAN BE NO DOUBT THAT HIS PARTY HAS ALREADY TAKEN OFF THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT MASK OF "BEING FOR" AND IS RETURNING TO ITS NATURAL STATE OF "BEING AGAINST" - PRZEMYSŁAW SZUBARTOWICZ IN INTERIA: “When you listen to the head of PiS today, there can be no doubt that his party has already taken off the local government mask of "being for" and is returning to its natural state of "being against," even on issues that it once supported itself. Kaczyński wants to be against the Green Deal, although the PiS commissioner for agriculture, Janusz Wojciechowski, claimed a few years ago that the "green reform of the common agricultural policy originated in Warsaw and was first called PiS's agricultural program." Professor Legutko, who is now out of favor in his party, also criticized this, claiming that the Polish government's consent to the EU ecological program was a "fatal mistake by Prime Minister Morawiecki." Kaczyński also wants to be against the introduction of the euro currency in Poland, although no one has real plans for this, as Poland does not meet the convergence criteria and has no chance of doing so for a long time.” -- TUSK, AS THE NEWS HAS IT, DOES NOT LIKE TO HAVE PEOPLE CLOSE TO HIM WHOM HE OWES SOMETHING, SO HE REPAID THEM WITH THE OPPORTUNITY TO BUILD CAREERS IN EUROPE - PRZEMYSŁAW SZUBARTOWICZ CONTINUES IN INTERIA: “Incidentally, the head of Platform [Civic Platform] sent to the – as Sienkiewicz put it – “cemetery of political elephants” those who facilitated his regaining power in the party, i.e., primarily Budka and Kierwiński. Tusk, as the news has it, does not like to have people close to him whom he owes something, so he repaid them with the opportunity to build careers in Europe. Now he will be able to manage the party single-handedly and without obligations, although without certainty whether he will be able to maintain power in Poland in this way.” https://wydarzenia.interia.pl/felietony/news-europejskie-omloty,nId,7480717 -- FROM THE LATEST PARTY POLL PREPARED BY CBOS, IT RESULTS THAT THE CIVIC COALITION HAS RECORDED A VERY LARGE DROP IN SUPPORT IN TWO WEEKS - RZ: “The Civic Coalition leads the poll with the support of 28 percent of respondents, but in two weeks, support for Donald Tusk's party has decreased by 7 percentage points. The latest survey was conducted between April 22-26, and the previous one between April 8-11. PiS takes second place in the survey, with the support of 26 percent of respondents (an increase of 3 percentage points). Third in the ranking is Confederation with support of around 14 percent (unchanged in two weeks), and fourth is Third Way (PSL and Poland 2050), which 11 percent of voters want to vote for (an increase of 1 percentage point).” https://www.rp.pl/polityka/art40272211-sondaz-cbos-gwaltowny-spadek-poparcia-dla-ko -- THE "WHITE PAPER" ON THE STATE OF PUBLIC FINANCES. FASTEN YOUR SEATBELTS, A HARD LANDING IS COMING - PIOTR MIĄCZYŃSKI IN GW: “'The first corrective actions have already been taken, but the scale of irregularities, omissions, and errors is so large that repairing Polish finances will take at least several years' – writes the ministry. What does all this mean? Far-reaching unpleasantness. Minister of Finance Andrzej Domański is not telling us many things, but the "White Paper" foreshadows them. - The authorities may be forced to revise the budget later this year, increasing the deficit limit by approximately PLN 30 billion. This also limits the chances of introducing significant fiscal measures after 2024 (e.g., increasing the tax-free amount). Our baseline scenario assumes a budget deficit of approximately 5.6% of GDP in 2024' – analyzed Piotr Kalisz, chief economist at Citi Handlowy bank, recently.” https://wyborcza.biz/biznes/7,147582,30930560,resort-finansow-opublikowal-biala-ksiege-pokazujaca-prawdziwy.html -- ON THE POLISH-BELARUSIAN BORDER, THE ILLEGAL RULE OF PIŚ STILL CONTINUES, BUT IT IS BEING IMPLEMENTED BY DONALD TUSK'S GOVERNMENT - MAREK BEYLIN IN GW: “Of course, the government is aware that it is operating illegally and inhumanely at the border. So, we hear from the Ministry of Interior about the 'humanization of pushbacks' and cooperation with aid organizations at the border. But even though months are passing, it is mainly words. Violence against refugees, state cruelty with which their health and lives are treated, is the reality of democratic government today.” https://wyborcza.pl/7,75968,30930881,pushbacki-trujace-wzory-przemocy.html -- THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT HAS BECOME A REWARD FOR MERITS, LOYALTY, AND YEARS OF SERVICE UNDER A PARTY BOSS - MAGDALENA ŚRODA IN GW: “The European Parliament has become – simply! – a reward for merits, loyalty, years of service under a party boss. It is also a kind of wonderful sinecure, where one can rest in comfortable conditions during a political retirement. The opposition is successfully imitating PiS here, which from the very beginning sent to the EP those who have accumulated the maximum points for loyalty from the leader, or – as today – have prosecutorial charges.” -- THIS LIST ALSO INCLUDES MS. DEMSKA, WHO IS RECOGNIZED MAINLY AS THE WIFE OF ACTOR OLBRYCHSKI - PROF. ŚRODA CONTINUES IN GW: “Number one in Warsaw is Minister Kierwiński, who is 'recognizable' only to Donald Tusk and his colleagues, and second is Hanna Gronkiewicz-Waltz, completely unknown to the younger generation, but known to the older generation for the better (reprivatization scandal). Minister Kierwiński received 6% of the votes in the latest trust ranking for politicians, and almost 40% of voters had no idea who he was. I also only know about him that he is a Very Important Person in the prime minister's entourage. This list also includes Ms. Demska, who is recognized mainly as the wife of actor Olbrychski.” https://wyborcza.pl/7,75968,30930087,listy-partyjne-do-europarlamentu-niech-wybory-znacza-wreszcie.html -- HAS KOSINIAK-KAMYSZ STEPPED OUT OF LINE? UKRAINIAN MOBILIZATION, POLISH INSTRUMENTALIZATION - EDWIN BENDYK ON TYGODNIK POLITYKA'S PORTAL: “Did Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz really step out of line, as I wrote? Or perhaps the key to the explanation is this short passage about indignant Poles, unable to bear the sight of young Ukrainians in Polish cafes, while Polish women and men are helping Ukraine with such effort? One would even like to add that as a result, they themselves don't have time for such pleasures as sitting in cafes. Well, another political campaign related to the European Parliament elections is gaining momentum. Of course, electoral logic does not explain everything, but it certainly explains a lot. The main addressees of the deputy prime minister and minister of defense's message were not Ukrainians; it was a message for the electorate.” https://www.polityka.pl/tygodnikpolityka/kraj/2254727,1,czy-kosiniak-kamysz-wyrwal-sie-przed-szereg-ukrainska-mobilizacja-polska-instrumentalizacja.read -- A SOFT LANDING FOR CIVIC PLATFORM LOCAL GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS AFTER LOSING ELECTIONS - JACEK BRZUSZKIEWICZ IN GW: “Wojciech Wilk, an influential Civic Platform activist and defeated mayor of Kraśnik in the Lublin region, will not end up unemployed. He will get a position in the Lublin city hall or one of the municipal companies dependent on the city council. - It's true, I received a job offer in the Lublin city hall or one of the institutions subordinate to the Lublin City Hall - Wojciech Wilk confirms to "Wyborcza".” https://lublin.wyborcza.pl/lublin/7,48724,30930365,miekkie-ladowanie-samorzadowcow-z-platformy-obywatelskiej-po.html -- DEPUTY MINISTER OF HEALTH IS LEAVING - GAZETA.PL: “Rynek Zdrowia was the first to report unofficially on Miłkowski's decision. According to an article published on April 26, the head of the Ministry of Health, Izabela Leszczyna, wanted to continue working with Miłkowski, but the deputy minister resigned. According to the service, it was not about 'bad atmosphere or lack of agreement' with Leszczyna. 'He decided it was his time' – a source familiar with the matter told the service. When asked by the service about the reasons for his decision, Miłkowski did not want to comment.” https://wiadomosci.gazeta.pl/wiadomosci/7,114884,30930890,kolejna-dymisja-w-rzadzie-tuska-odchodzi-polityk-ktory-znajduje.html -- IMPASSE IN TALKS BETWEEN STATE FORESTS AND ACTIVISTS. "FOREST PROTECTION IS STILL TO BE ILLUSORY" - WOJCIECH KOŚĆ IN OKO.PRESS: “STATE FORESTS, environmental activists, scientists, local governments, and the timber industry are discussing how to implement the government's plan, which aims to protect 20 percent of forests that are valuable in terms of nature and important for metropolitan residents. After talks with representatives of the Forests, some activists express concerns that the state forestry company wants to 'wear down' the participants of the National Forest Summit – as the negotiation process for an agreement between foresters and social activists is called. The latter suspect that the aim is for forest protection to remain merely illusory. Interestingly, environmental NGOs place their hopes in people whom they usually criticize without mercy, i.e., officials from the Ministry of Climate and Environment.” https://oko.press/impas-w-rozmowach-lasow-panstwowych-z-aktywistami -- BIRTHDAYS: Jacek Rostowski, Marek Jakubiak, Steve Mull, Mikołaj Lizut, WEDNESDAY: Joanna Szczepkowska, Piotr Skwieciński, Jarosław Sellin, Małgorzata Chmiel, Andrzej Śmietanko, Andrzej Wojtyła.