Poland

In this episode, we talk about the Ukrainian grain crisis, its economic and political context, the role and response of Poland and other EU countries to the issue, and the way forward for Ukrainian-Polish relations.

Women in Poland are now more than ever at the heart of public attention. The closer we get to the election date, the more political declarations affecting women’s lives we hear. With numerous research studies proving that women\'s participation in the upcoming parliamentary elections in Poland will be politically decisive, the number of offers from party leaders is rising on a daily basis.

As Poland\'s parliamentary election approaches, a concerning trend has emerged. The far-right party, Konfederacja, with its current polling at 8-12%, is aggressively targeting the young electorate. While they champion economic liberal ideas like \'economic freedom\' and \'simple, low taxes,\' they conveniently sidestep the importance of ideological freedom.

There is a well-known saying, popular both in Poland and Hungary, that goes ‘Pole and Hungarian brothers be, good for fight and good for party’. It is humorous, but it is also a symbol of the unique relationship between the two nations, which is a rarity compared to other countries or nations. The saying refers to mutual friendship, similarities and good relations.

Joanna Łopat talks with Daria, 40 year-old Jewish women from Warsaw.

A survey published on July 5 by OKO.Press revealed a stark perspective: 65% of respondents firmly advocate for the abolition of the conscience clause in public health care facilities, while a mere 25% support its continuation. The implications of this data point to a significant transformation in recent months and years. This shift can be attributed firstly to the contentious \"verdict\" of the self-proclaimed Tribunal of Julia Przyłębska.

In 2022, public expenditure per capita amounted to almost 36,000 PLN, and per one working person - 79,381 PLN. All public spending is financed either by taxes we pay or by government-issued debt (which means higher taxes in the future). Many people, demanding the implementation of further social programs by the state, do not realize that it is associated with higher taxation of the people (now or in the future).

In a landmark ruling, an administrative court found it illegal to suspend a judge for her ruling. The judge overruled the verdict of the lower court because it included, in its composition, a person appointed at the request of the politicized National Council of the Judiciary. She was charged with questioning the status of the judge, and the president of the court ordered a month-long break in her duties.

The Sejm passed the Act on the establishment of the State Commission for the Study of Russian Influences on the Internal Security of the Republic of Poland in the years 2007-2022. The Commission is proposed to be a public administration body and will be tasked with disclosing alleged cases of widely understood acts of espionage or actions made to the detriment of the Republic of Poland committed by public officials under the influence of Russia.

The International Monetary Fund\'s mission carried out an assessment in Warsaw on 14-24 March under Art. IV of the of the IMF Articles of Agreement. The mission pointed to the most important problems of the Polish economy and presented related recommendations. The Fund\'s delegation pointed out that the most important challenge is to bring inflation down to the target (which upper band of deviations is 3.5%). Therefore, it becomes necessary to tighten fiscal policy this year.