In the chaos of transition between the Parliaments and the Commissions there are some surprise stories, twists and attempted shortcuts. There are unintended consequences and parallel processes that impact one another. Here's one such story. 26 May, the end of European elections. Among new MEPs are two ex-Commissioners, Andrus Ansip and Corina Creţu. 2 June, … Continue reading How the Szydło affair keeps Commissioners-nominees hostage
Ursula von der Leyen delivers the speech of her lifetime. See the details here #Gimme5EU
10 July 2019. Meeting of the European People's Party in the European Parliament in Brussels. Main theme: meeting with Ursula von der Leyen, candidate for the presidency of the European Commission. The meeting is closed, after the meeting there is a statement that the EPP "fully" supports von der Leyen. After meeting the candidate, Manfred … Continue reading Will all of EPP support Ursula?
As the night is unfolding, the first results of the European elections in Poland are coming in. Initially as exit polls, late polls, this morning (6 AM) we have results out of 95,9% of precincts. Here they are: Law and Justice, 46,00%European Coalition, 37,87%Spring, 6,02% The other committees fall short of the 5% threshold, most … Continue reading The Polish EP 2019 results are coming in
If you think Law and Justice (PiS) is anti-European, anti-systemic, anti-liberal democracy, think again. Not because Law and Justice presents itself as a modern, pro-European party with a logo "Poland at the heart of Europe" and with the European flag behind their backs. Law and Justice is a conservative party arguing in favour of Christian … Continue reading Last days of the campaign
The last weekend before the European elections the Polish campaign is gaining speed. The paedophilia covered in the Catholic Church dominates the debate. With the 18 May march in Warsaw and reinforcement in the person of Donald Tusk, the European Coalition motivates its supporters and hopes to outplay Law and Justice. 18 May, morning, Warsaw: … Continue reading Tusk goes political & violent incidents in South Poland
The European Coalition (EC) campaign is changing. So far, the leifmotif of the Coalition is to warn the Poles of a risk of "Polexit", even if unintended. For that reason the EC has a hashtag #WielkiWybor, a #GreatChoice, for it tries to turn the 26 May elections into a referendum "in or out of the … Continue reading Rebranded European Coalition: 100 billion more!
Tusk delivers an important speech at Warsaw University 3 May 2019. He talks Poland, Europe and global challenges. #Gimme5EU
Poland's EU accession in 2004 is a success story. As such, it has many fathers. Today PiS politicians no longer talk of "imaginary community" or "ruined Poland". Today they are pro-European. Just listen to the Polish head of state talk. The EU enlargement of 2004 was the Union's biggest: 10 new countries joined on 1 … Continue reading Andrzej Duda: Europe it’s us
Brexit puts the details of the European elections in limbo. It looked like there will be 705 MEPs. Now it seems we will see the same number of MEPs as before: 751. With Britain or not, for the Polish MEPs it makes a difference of one mandate: with Britain in the EU there will be … Continue reading Rostowski: Brexit is the worst event in Western Europe since WW2
Marek Jurek is a conservative MEP. In 2014 he is elected to the EP from the Law and Justice list and leaves the party a few weeks later. He is the most recognisable face of a small right-wing party, the Right Wing of the Republic (RWP, Prawica Rzeczypospolitej). Once, he was the Speaker of the … Continue reading Marek Jurek has a problem
"For us, Moscow’s financing is a red line that cannot be crossed” says Zdzisław Krasnodębski, vice-president of the European Parliament, MEP with ECR/PiS After elections, there will be more than one group right-of-the-EPPECR has a Spitzenkandidat, too! The Polish ruling party Law and Justice (PiS) is a large party in a populous EU member state. … Continue reading PiS Europe Strategy
Frans Timmermans comes to Warsaw as a leading candidate of the European Social Democrats for the position of President of the European Commission. Frans Timmermans comes to Warsaw at the Commission's First Vice President in charge, inter alia, for the rule of law in member states. Frans Timmermans comes to Warsaw when the Brexit chaos … Continue reading Timmermans has a shot
Remember the Salvini visit in Warsaw in January? That's past. On Wednesday, PiS Chairman Jarosław Kaczyński met with the delegation of Brothers of Italy, a ECR party from Italy with no MEPs yet. https://twitter.com/pisorgpl/status/1113414507731329024 The Brothers of Italy joined the ECR back in November. This seems to be a pattern: PiS looks for sovereignist partners … Continue reading The Group of Souverenists in the making
Over the weekend politicians tried their best to campaign. One of the candidates for the MEP came to Częstochowa... two short stories about some weird incidents taking place in Poland. Let me assure you, not all is rosy, but also not all is black. The next winter will be coming only in eight months. Częstochowa … Continue reading Welcome to the Middle Ages Poland
It is Saturday, 23 March, a theatre in the Warsaw city centre. It is a quarter to 2PM. A crowd is growing with every minute. There are more and more people, they all came here to listen to the leaders of a new Polish party, Wiosna, or Spring. The people around me take selfies, they … Continue reading “Europe needs Spring”
Santiago Abascal, leader of the Spanish party Vox arrives in Warsaw for a meeting with Jarosław Kaczyński, the chairman of Law and Justice (PiS). The purpose of the meeting? To meet and study each other, as both actors do not know each other too well. Exploration ahead of the next European Parliament. Vox, after all, … Continue reading Abascal in Warsaw
As many as 62.1% of Poles and Poles believe that religion should take place in vicarage, while only 37.9% are in favour of religious education in schools. 55.9% prefer to be buried in a traditional coffin, but as many as 44.1% would choose to be cremated. As many as 54.1% think that Nobel Peace Prize … Continue reading One Poland, diversified
2014. There are two candidates who compete for the presidency of the European Commission. Jean-Claude Juncker is the candidate of the European People's Party. Martin Schulz is the candidate of the Party of European Socialists. Other Spitzenkandidaten include the Greens' and the Liberals' candidates (Ska Keller and José Bové, Guy Verhofstadt) as well as the … Continue reading Is the Spitzenkandidaten system dead?
Some ideas take years to materialise. Some take the world by storm. Włodzimierz Cimoszewicz Early December 2018 Włodzimierz Cimoszewicz, Poland's former left wing prime minister, foreign minister and for many years an independent senator, appeals: "if the opposition does not unite, it is responsible for the PiS continued rule". Mr Cimoszewicz was the foreign minister … Continue reading European Coalition is a reality now
