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Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Digital Affairs Krzysztof Gawkowski recently announced plans to introduce a digital tax in Poland on the revenues or profits of big tech corporations operating in the country.¹ The funds raised would be used to subsidize the development of Polish companies and start-ups in the digital technology sector and media.

Despite the increasing international prominence of mayors and municipal networks, local governments across Europe face numerous challenges. In the UK, local councils lack the resources to fulfill their extensive responsibilities, while in France, attempts at decentralization have been hindered by a lack of clarity over the distribution of responsibilities and a relatively high degree of central government interference.

As the Festival of Ideas approaches, the twelfth edition of the Lodz Forum promises to be an event like no other. Scheduled for October 24-26 at EXPO Lodz, this year’s theme, “Time of Uncertainty,” will take participants on a journey through the pressing challenges of our age.

With iron regularity, texts appear in the public sphere about powerful lobby groups influencing politics, or even dictating to governments what legislation to adopt and what policies to pursue domestically and internationally. First, we need to analyze the idea of a wealthy entrepreneur who, instead of developing their business in a \'market-oriented\' way, spends their time trying to convince politicians to secure advantages for their business from the state.

Advocates of state intervention and regulation believe that these mechanisms can improve the environment by suppressing the free market. Over time, they have become an increasing challenge for defenders of capitalism and the free market economy. The solution to global warming, air pollution, and so on is therefore said to be less market and more state planning.

Young men were forgotten by the campaign. Young men were forgotten by the politics. Young men were forgotten by Poland. That is why Nawrocki won the election. The recent elections confirmed what we had already known about Poland for many years. Poles are divided, torn almost exactly in half by striking polarization. The results of the first round immediately confirmed the greatest fears. This division of Poland is still going on.

Throughout President Trump’s two terms, he has made it a central focus to try and end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), a piece of legislation that has given hundreds of thousands the ability to stay in America. In his most recent attempt to attack the program, he has declared that various universities are breaking Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, which prohibits national origin discrimination, with DACA-only scholarships.

A new edition of the Nanny State Index has just been released — a ranking that measures how heavily European countries regulate their citizens’ lifestyles. Experts from the Civil Development Forum (FOR) are sounding the alarm: “Virtually all of the countries surveyed are increasingly turning to paternalistic solutions.”

In recent years, deregulation reforms have become a key step in many European countries toward simplifying rules and improving administrative efficiency. As a result, citizens and entrepreneurs have gained easier access to public services, and markets have become more business-friendly. But which specific reforms have delivered the best results — and how can other European nations benefit from their neighbors’ experiences?

It is now official – Bulgaria will become the 21st member of the euro area. This concludes a years-long process of preparing the country to join the monetary union. The first euro coins and notes will appear in Bulgarian wallets on January 1, 2026. In June 2025, EU finance ministers unanimously approved Bulgaria’s entry into the eurozone. The Bulgarian lev will be replaced by the euro at the beginning of 2026, with the exchange rate set at 1 euro = 1.95583 leva.