The editorial of El Pais entitled "Calviño's defeat in the Eurogroup is also that of a more integrated Union" made me think. Here is why. How can a leading European paper associate "Europe" with one's own party and one's own country? This is not the first time and probably not the last. Anyway, this is … Continue reading The Calviño Defeat Reveals What Europe Is
Author: Piotr Maciej Kaczynski
I talk, I write, I speak, I study, I analyse, I teach, I hike, I run, I travel, I learn, I care. This e-home will be developed gradually. You can find information about me and about my publications and other activities.
It’s the fight of the decade and the Polish presidency is the prize (update)
On Sunday (28 June) almost 20 million Poles went to the polls to choose their head of state, who is largely ceremonial. Yet in a country ruled by symbols, the presidency is of utmost importance. Holding it is the ultimate proof for any political party of their power and popularity. Earlier version of this article … Continue reading It’s the fight of the decade and the Polish presidency is the prize (update)
Poland Elects its President 2020
So it happens. We are in the middle of a political hurricane. Once again, the ruling Law and Justice (PiS) is facing the Opposition. Can they prevail? Can they win, again? Can they prolong the momentum beyond 2020?: No. It does not seem so. The momentum clearly is elsewhere. PiS puppet president Andrzej Duda is … Continue reading Poland Elects its President 2020
Poland’s Political Police
Today's Gazeta Wyborcza runs an interesting article written by Kacper Sulowski. It reads: "They take journalists out, they do the postmen job. And how heroically they defend the chairman's mailbox! Here is our Police". It enumerates the number of incidents in recent weeks when the police - nation's trusted force (75%) as of 2019 - … Continue reading Poland’s Political Police
Polexit in 5 steps.
Today is 16th anniversary of the biggest enlargement of EU. On 1 May 2004 some 70 million people became EU citizens. Well, nobody told them this. So in June when there was an EP election people were confused. Why again they should go to the election box? After all they have voted in referendum about … Continue reading Polexit in 5 steps.
Testing for Covid19 in EU (Update)
Thank you for all the feedback I received after last week's blog post about testing in the EU for the virus. It has motivated me to, first, update my table and see if there were changes from a week before. And second, to face up with the logic: there are no tests because there are … Continue reading Testing for Covid19 in EU (Update)
Testing for Covid19 in EU
On 14 April there are 771k cases of the coronavirus across the EU. About 70k people lost their lives. 224k have been cured, or so we think and 477k people are still sick. Against this picture, there are hundreds of myths about Covid-19 across the EU. One of them is that there are so many … Continue reading Testing for Covid19 in EU
Over 550 thousand EU citizens with Covid-19
Ever since beginning of the corona crisis all we hear is "national". How many sick people are there in Spain and Italy and in our own country. Not only Italians or Spaniards fighting against the coronavirus, but aren't we all as Europeans fighting this crisis? One of the first person to get sick in Poland … Continue reading Over 550 thousand EU citizens with Covid-19
Poland’s rolling coup d’état to fail
It is not easy to hold your horses when no one is watching. The temptation is too big not to reach out for even more power than you already have. It is there, waiting for you to grab it. No one watches you. There is fire and storms and pandemics elsewhere. You are in a … Continue reading Poland’s rolling coup d’état to fail
Is the EU democratic?
The Polish national leaders are leading a narrative that the European Union needs to reform, and should it fail to reform it faces a defeat, a failure, a cataclysm. The Polish pundits, one by one seem to follow this magical trick and consider the EU an external, an alien, a hostile force. One just example … Continue reading Is the EU democratic?
A European Green Card for #the5million?
I talk with Roger Casale, the founder of New Europeans about Brexit, #the5million campaign and the New Europeans' proposal of the European Green Card. Initially this interview was published in Polish on Onet.pl. Piotr Maciej Kaczyński: There is about one million Poles in the UK. But the migration of people around the EU is a … Continue reading A European Green Card for #the5million?
Talking Europe to Europeans
In the race for news, our national media often lose the perspective of the slowly changing realities. Sometimes they do not grab it even in 10 years. In Brussels media still write about EU Presidencies. As if they existed. They don't, since 1 Dec 2009. Please someone deliver the news to Euractiv, Politico and EU … Continue reading Talking Europe to Europeans
Macron in Warsaw
Emmanuel Macron comes to Poland today. It is his first trip to the country since coming to power in 2017. Will he reach out to the Warsaw rulers who accused his France of breaking democratic principles? What is the olive branch? The list of disagreements is long. The list of common interests seems short. Is … Continue reading Macron in Warsaw
Poland votes for President 2020. Who’s running?
The presidential elections in Poland are scheduled for late spring 2020. Most likely the first round of voting shall take place on 10 May 2020, but the formal decision has not been taken as of now. The incumbent, Andrzej Duda, has been the country's president since 2015, and an MEP before that (2014-2015) with Law … Continue reading Poland votes for President 2020. Who’s running?
EP post-Brexit: the End of Centre-Left Majority
Brexit is looming on the European Parliament. A few days ago the EP's research service published a simulation showing how the Parliament changes on 1 February 2020, the day EU shrinks to 27 member states. The main consequence for the delicate balance in the fragmented Parliament is the end of the minimal centre-left majority in … Continue reading EP post-Brexit: the End of Centre-Left Majority
Poland loses interest in EU
When the Council of the EU votes on energy transformation, environmental protection or transport, the PiS government is usually in the minority. The Eternal Question Since joining of the EU, Poland is facing the question of its own position in the Union. The question is linked to its size: Poland is the smallest among the … Continue reading Poland loses interest in EU
What kind of Geopolitical Commission?
At one point this summer Ursula von der Leyen said her Commission will be “geopolitical”, as opposed to the “political” Commission of Jean-Claude Juncker. There was no meaning to the adjective back then. There is little meaning to it today. Still, the adjective is growing on the Commission. First foreign trip of the new President: … Continue reading What kind of Geopolitical Commission?
EPP in Crisis
"The EPP is dead"! Did Viktor Orbán plan a hostile take-over of the party? What are the plans for the future? Welcome to rainy Zagreb, where the European People's Party holds its congress 2019. Hashtag #EPPZagreb The Croatian capital is cold and rainy this time of the year. Grim are the moods in the great … Continue reading EPP in Crisis
2 Commissioners missing
Today there were hearings in the European Parliament. Extra hearings following the rejection of the initial candidates for Commissioners from Romania, Hungary and France. The replacement candidates who did well are the two: Adina-Ioana Vălean of Romania, who is scheduled to be the Commissioner for transport, and Thierry Breton of France, who will be responsible … Continue reading 2 Commissioners missing
4 Commissioners missing
For the new European Commission to take office - initially scheduled for 1 November - we are still missing four confirmations and a final confirmation vote in the European Parliament. Three Commissioners-candidates were rejected earlier by the European Parliament. The French Sylvie Goulard was denied after her hearing. The Romanian Rovana Plumb and the Hungarian … Continue reading 4 Commissioners missing