NEWSLETTER
From Poland with Love. March
Topic of the Month
Death of Kaczyński Former Chief of Staff
Barbara Skrzypek, Jaroslaw Kaczynski's former chief of staff, has died. The PiS leader claims that her death was the result of a lengthy interrogation conducted four days earlier by Ewa Wrzosek, a prominent prosecutor critical of the PiS.
Skrzypek was being questioned as a witness in connection with allegations by Austrian businessman Gerald Birgfellner that Kaczyński had asked him for a bribe in 2018. Birgfellner also claims that the PiS leader refused to pay him for work he had done on an investment project involving a foundation controlled by Kaczyński. The case is known in Poland as 'Kaczyński's Two Towers' (read more in the February 2019 issue of the Newsletter). The case was closed by the prosecutor's office during the PiS government and has recently been reopened.
Prosecutor Wrzosek reportedly only allowed the lawyers representing Birgfellner to be present during the interrogation, and refused to allow Skrzypek to be present, despite the fact that the lawyer had asked to be present due to his client's poor health. The interrogation lasted nearly five hours. Preliminary autopsy results indicate that Skrzypek died of a massive heart attack.
"She was a victim of villains who led to her death," Kaczynski said. "I want to say this clearly: Today they are trying to defend themselves and intimidate us, but we will not be afraid," he added. PiS MEP Dominik Tarczyński suggested that Skrzypek had gone further, writing on X: "Persecuted to death by Donald Tusk's regime".
The prosecutor denied all allegations, saying that the questioning had taken place in a good atmosphere and that neither Skrzypek nor her lawyer had raised any objections. The Warsaw District Prosecutor's Office has announced legal action against those making the accusations against Wrzosek. Polish Justice Minister Adam Bodnar also rejected claims that Skrzypek's death was linked to her interrogation.
President Andrzej Duda asked Prime Minister Donald Tusk for an explanation of the circumstances of the interrogation, and Ombudsman Marcin Wiącek asked the Warsaw District Prosecutor's Office for information on the procedure. The far-right Confederation demanded that the Sejm's justice committee be given access to the records of the interrogation to determine whether the prosecutor had acted properly. Wrzosek was placed under protection after receiving criminal threats from political opponents.
Ewa Wrzosek has been a prosecutor for almost 30 years. During the PiS rule, she strongly criticised the minister and politicization of the prosecutor’s office. As a consequence, several disciplinary proceedings were brought against her. She was disciplinarily seconded for six months to serve in the prosecutor’s office in Śrem, far away from her home-town Warsaw. After the 2023 elections she presented her candidature to become the state prosecutor. In 2023, Minister Bodnar appointed Wrzosek as his representative to the National Council of Prosecutors.
Even the liberal media are divided when it comes to Wrzosek's involvement in the case. Some insist that such an outspoken prosecutor should not be investigating the Law and Justice leadership, while others insist that her unequivocal commitment to the independence of the prosecution makes her the best candidate to investigate such an important case. It should also not be overlooked that Wrzosek is one of the critics of the current justice minister, accusing him of being too dilatory in accounting for the abuses of the previous ruling team, and the current situation allows her to see for herself how difficult these matters are.
As a consequence of the case, the Supreme Bar Council wants every witness to have the right to have an attorney present when questioned by the prosecution. The Bar Association is presenting a draft amendment to the law on the issue and is asking the president, parliament and the government to change the law.
Skrzypek’s funeral took place in her home town Gorlice. It was attended by President Andrzej Duda and other party politicians. Duda posthumously awarded her the Knight's Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta.
Politics
Who Will Validate Election Results?
President Andrzej Duda vetoed the so-called "incidental law," that would have changed the way the results of this year’s presidential election are validated by the Supreme Court. Under the new legislation, judges appointed to the Supreme Court in an illegal procedure, under the previous government, would be excluded from the process. According to the bill adopted by the current majority (the Left abstained), the longest-serving judges of the Supreme Court should decide on the validity of the outcome of the upcoming presidential election. Until now, the politicized Supervisory Chamber of the Supreme Court has had the competence to certify the results in all elections. The change was justified on the grounds that the legitimacy of the Supervisory Chamber of the Supreme Court had been questioned by both the European Court of Justice and the present Polish government (read more in the January issue of the Newsletter).
Duda stressed that the current ruling coalition came to power in elections validated by the same Supreme Court judges it is now challenging. The head of Duda's chancellery, Małgorzata Paprocka, added that Poland's Constitutional Tribunal had previously ruled that significant changes to the electoral law could not be introduced less than six months before the elections, and that the "incidental law" concerned the May elections. She also made a political statement, saying that actions to "question the composition of the Supreme Court" could be part of wider attempts to influence the outcome of the presidential election, including by the European institutions. "We have had very bad experiences with blocking funds at EU level to influence the parliamentary elections in Poland," she commented, referring to the European Commission's plans to launch a special round-table discussion on the integrity of elections in Poland.
Some commentators fear that Poland could be in danger of chaos after the presidential election, no matter what decision is made by the government's unrecognized majority. Of course, this chaos could be even greater if PiS decides to challenge the outcome of the election and obtains the support of the House for its actions. Lawyers are calmer, and some insist that for the validity of the elections no court resolution is needed at all.
„Exotic Candidates”
According to the election calendar, March 24, 2025 was the deadline for notifying the State Election Commission (PKW) of the formation of election committees of candidates for President of the Republic of Poland. The notification had to be accompanied by 1,000 signatures. By that time, a record 44 had signed up. Among them are less than 10 people who are putting up a real fight in the race, those who exist in public life and can influence the final outcome of the elections. These are Poll leader Rafal Trzaskowski (KO), representatives of the hard right fighting to enter the second round Karol Nawrocki (PiS) and Slawomir Mentzen (Confederation), representatives of parliamentary parties Szymon Holownia (Third Way), Magdalena Biejat (Left) and Adrian Zandberg (Together). To these can be added candidates who enjoy at least 1% support in the polls, which could prove important before the second round: ultra-right-wing anti-Semite Grzegorz Braun MEP and influencer Krzysztof Stanowski.
All the rest are so-called “exotic candidates” who try to achieve other goals with their runs, such as drawing attention to the organization they lead, building their own visibility or directing public attention to an issue... or business. They include Piotr Szumlewicz, a left-wing columnist and chairman of the nationwide trade union Trade Union Alternative. Marek Woch, chairman of the All-Poland Federation of “Nonpartisans and Local Governments.” Former Treasury Minister in the Law and Justice (PiS) government Dawid Jackiewicz. Former left-wing deputy known for her anticlerical views Prof. Joanna Senyszyn. The rest are completely unknown to the wider public, and in this group there is a significant representation of people with extreme right-wing, anti-Ukrainian and even pro-Russian views. There are also propagators of conspiracy theories, anti-graft. Some of them are veterans who have run in all elections at every level, mostly with meager results, but there are also political newcomers, until now known, for example, from TV reality shows about farmers.
The next deadline is April 4. 100,000 signatures must be delivered to the PKW by that date. A few will succeed, but there are bound to be surprises, and eventually Poles will also find some new names on the ballot on May 18 that are not quite familiar to them.
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It has emerged that several years ago PiS presidential candidate Karol Nawrocki wore a disguise to praise his own book on television. It turned out that Nawrocki had written a book under the pseudonym Tadeusz Batyr. This would not have been unusual, but the media found TV interviews in which Nawrocki was disguised with his face blurred to complete his alter ego. The presidential candidate even posted on social media that he had met the author. "He thanked me for my help with an interesting book that I recommend," he wrote.
Some commentators have suggested that the subject matter of the book could also be problematic for Naworcki. The book is about the life of Nikoś, a gangster from communist Poland in the 1980s. The media have often reported on Nawrocki's "fascination" with the criminal underground. They described his contacts with several figures associated with organised crime and biker gangs. Nawrocki's support came from his colleague, a convicted kidnapping freak fighter currently in Dubai known as Big Bu.
Nawrocki commented that "Literary pseudonyms are nothing new in Polish journalism, literature and science".
Ex-Police Chief Fined for Disclosing Sensitive Data
The Polish Office for the Protection of Personal Data (UODO) has fined the Office of the National Chief of Police PLN 75,000 (ca. EUR 18,000) for publishing the personal and health data of a woman who had taken abortion pills and was hospitalised for suicidal thoughts.
According to UODO, Jarosław Szymczyk, former police chief under the PiS government, breached the EU's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) by disclosing private information, including details of Joanna's psychiatric treatment. The incident occurred in 2023, when she contacted her psychiatrist to discuss her deteriorating mental health following the use of an abortion pill. The doctor contacted the emergency services, indicating possible suicidal thoughts, which led to Joanna being transferred to a hospital with the assistance of police officers. Her laptop and mobile phone were confiscated. Szymczyk held a press conference and revealed personal and sensitive information about Joanna (read more in the July 2023 issue of the Newsletter).
According to Mirosław Wróblewski, the president of the UODO, this disclosure of information took place without any legal grounds and directly violated the GDPR. He explained that since the nature of the case did not involve criminal behaviour, the law enforcement authorities could not justify such actions under the rules that allow the processing of personal data for the purpose of preventing or investigating crime.
Joanna has also filed a lawsuit seeking PLN 100,000 (ca. EUR 23,000) in damages for what she describes as an unjustified detention and violation of her rights.
These are not the only legal problems facing the ex-police chief. In January, prosecutors charged Szymczyk with illegally possessing an anti-tank grenade launcher and firing it inside the Polish police headquarters in Warsaw.
Security
Defense and Security Fund
Minister of Funds and Regional Policy Katarzyna Pelczynska-Nalecz announced that "Poland is the first country in Europe to launch a defence and security fund financed from the EU's National Recovery Plan [KPO]". The fund will receive PLN 30 billion (about EUR 7.2 billion) from the NRP. The minister explained that Poland will invest it in shelters, dual-use infrastructure and the development of Polish arms manufacturers. "Thanks to European funds, we will be able to build a tool for financing our defence capabilities," commented Prime Minister Donald Tusk.
The details of the new programme will now be discussed with the European Commission in cooperation with the Ministry of National Defence. The EC has already signalled that it would be open to redirecting more Community funds to military security. The creation of the fund is expected to be finalised within two months.
Poland is set to receive a total of EUR 60 billion in loans and grants agreed by EU governments to stimulate economic growth after the pandemic (read more in the April 2024 issue of the Newsletter).
Society
First to Bike Across the Gobi
Mateusz Waligóra, a Polish extreme traveller, has become the first person to cross the Gobi Desert by bicycle. He cycled almost 1300 km across Mongolia, from Altai to Sainshan.
The expedition was full of adventures, including some unpleasant ones. His bike broke down and he needed the help of locals to get to the nearest town to have it repaired with parts ordered from the Mongolian capital, Ulaanbaatar. His equipment also broke down due to the weather conditions, including -30°C. With 25km to go, the frame of the bike broke and he was forced to push it to complete the journey.
In the past, Waligóra has crossed the Gobi Desert on foot, walked across Greenland from west to east, reached the South Pole and was the first Pole to reach the summit of Mount Everest after starting at sea level.
International Affairs
CPAC Poland
CPAC, the Conservative Political Action Conference, a high-profile gathering of right-wing politicians, will be held in Poland for the first time later this year. "St. John Paul helps guide our steps," commented Matt Schlapp, President of the American Conservative Union (ACU) during a visit to Poland, while announcing the European expansion of CPAC.
"There is a long-standing, special relationship between democracy in Poland and my home country, the United States of America. It's a very special relationship," he told the right-wing Polish television channel Republika. "When two countries have as much in common as America and Poland, of course the globalists, in this case the EU and the most dominant player in the EU, Germany, don't like this relationship," he added. And the CPAC website wrote: "Poland has been targeted by globalist bureaucrats in the European Union because of its determination to preserve its Christian heritage and national sovereignty, especially on issues of national security and immigration. But because of its passion for freedom, family and faith, Poland has become an important ally and friend of the United States".
CPAC was founded in 1974 by the ACU and Young Americans for Freedom as a platform for conservative leaders and activists. It has since become one of the most influential gatherings for right-wing politics in the US, featuring speeches from prominent figures such as Ronald Reagan, Donald Trump and other Republican leaders. Key events at CPAC include presidential straw polls, policy debates, and high-profile speeches that shape the conservative platform. Over the years, CPAC has expanded internationally, holding conferences in countries such as Japan, Australia, Brazil and Hungary. President Andrzej Duda was among those who attended the recent CPAC in the US, sparking much controversy (read more in the last issue).
Economy
Ukrainian Migration and Polish Growth
According to a report by Bank Gospodarstwa Krajowego (BGK), the growing presence of Ukrainians in Poland has contributed to the dynamic development of trade and investment, making Poland an attractive destination for international entrepreneurs.
Economic relations between Poland and Ukraine have grown significantly. In 2014, Polish exports to Ukraine amounted to EUR 3.1 billion, while ten years later they reached EUR 11.8 billion (four times less). Ukraine became the most important foreign market for Polish products, accounting for 3.7% of Polish exports, compared to 1.9% in 2014. Three categories, namely industrial machinery and equipment, construction materials and industrial chemicals, consumer goods and food, play a decisive role in this success.
However, imports from Ukraine have also increased significantly since 2014, from EUR 1.7bn to EUR 4.4bn, mainly due to high demand for base metals, mineral products and agricultural products.
Forecasts suggest that the long-term impact of Ukrainian migration on the Polish economy could be between 1.7% and 2.9% of GDP growth in 2030-2050.
926% R&D Increase since the EU Accession
According to a report by the state-owned Polish Development Fund (PFR), Poland saw record high-tech exports in 2024, increasing by more than 10% compared to 2023. It reached the highest level in the history of available data (since 2007). Data from the Polish Statistical Office (GUS) show that exports increased for the thirteenth consecutive year, reaching a record value of EUR 37.25 billion. Exports of military equipment play an increasingly important role in this area.
PRF also showed data on Polish expenditure on research and development, which reached EUR 11.7 billion in 2023, an increase of 22.6% compared to the previous year and of 926% compared to 2004, the year of EU accession.
European Affairs
Unprecedented Revolt
The Advocate General (AG) of the Court of Justice of the European Union (ECJ), Dean Spielmann, has said that the rulings of the Polish Constitutional Tribunal (TK) affirming the primacy of Polish law over EU legislation are an "unprecedented revolt". He was referring to the position taken by Poland's highest court, packed with PiS loyalists (read more in the December 2024 issue of the Newsletter), in its rulings from 2021. As an immediate reaction to these rulings, the European Commission brought an action for failure to fulfil obligations before the Luxembourg court.
"There is no doubt that, by these judgments, the Polish Constitutional Tribunal has launched a frontal attack on the fundamental principles of the EU legal order and on the authority of the judgments of the Court of Justice," the AG wrote. "Their infringement cannot in any event be justified by provisions of national law, including those of a constitutional nature. Similarly, the fundamental principles of EU law cannot be called into question by invoking the constitutional identity of the Member State," he added. Furthermore, he argues that the TK cannot be considered an independent and impartial court established by law "within the meaning of EU law" because of irregularities in the appointment of its judges.
Spielmann suggests that the ECJ should declare that Poland has failed to fulfil its obligations under EU law. In his view, the judgments in question fundamentally deviate from the Court's case law on the guarantee of effective judicial protection. The Advocate General's opinion is not binding on the ECJ. The role of the Advocates General is to propose to the Court, in complete independence, a legal solution to the cases for which they are responsible.
Polish Presidency Wants to Stop the Clock
The Polish EU presidency will hold technical talks with member states to explore the possibility of abandoning summer time. The Polish government wants to persuade EU partners to scrap the time change, with a target date of 2028 for possible implementation. "We believe that a coordinated solution on this issue is achievable," said the European Commission spokesperson.
Public opinion in Poland is against the biannual clock change. A public consultation in 2018 revealed that a significant proportion of Poles want to abolish it once and for all. And the Poles are not alone, as 84% of Europeans in the same survey shared the Polish sentiment. Many experts also stress the health implications of the practice, in particular the disruption of sleep patterns, which can lead to irritability, difficulty concentrating and even an increased risk of heart attack the day after the clocks are put forward.
There is currently no political consensus on whether summer time brings economic or environmental benefits.
The European Commission proposed abolishing the practice in 2018, but abandoned the work during the COVID-19 pandemic and because of the difficulties in reaching a consensus among the 27. One of the problems is the choice of which time to stick to - doctors prefer standard time, while many businesses prefer summer time... A survey conducted by CBOS this year showed that 74% of Poles preferred the latter.
In the 20th century, summer time in Poland was abolished and reintroduced three times, the last time in 1977.
Culture
Renovation-Devastation
The roadside shrine from ca. 1820, near the village of Studzionka, has recently undergone “restoration”. Not a professional one. The Virgin Mary got yellow skin and giant white eyes, and many foreign media compared her now to a character from The Simpsons. An original German inscription on the shrine was replaced by ‘VII 2024, JC 2’ written with a black marker pen.
The shrine is a protected monument and no renovations should be done without a permission by regional authorities. Silesian Conservator of Monuments said his office is investigating how much damage was done and how it can be repaired.
The police is investigating who is behind the amateur restoration. Officers stress that they believe the person acted in good faith but the act itself was against the law. Renowacja-dewastacja wywołała oburzenie w całej Polsce. Art lovers hope that this story will contribute to better protection and true restoration of thousands of neglected monuments in public places, such as roadside shrines.
Poland & Germany
Protest on the Bridge
Polish demonstrators blocked a bridge on the border with Germany to show their opposition to the transfer of migrants across the Oder river. The demonstration "Stop Germany from flooding Poland with migrants" took place in Słubice, a town opposite Frankfurt am Oder. Several hundred people showed their dissatisfaction with the EU's migration and asylum pact.
The demonstration was organised by ultra-nationalist Robert Bąkiewicz, known as a former leader of the Independence March (read more), and was attended by several PiS politicians. PiS presidential candidate Karol Nawrocki thanked the Polish patriots for "guarding the border". "The European Union and Germany, in cooperation with the Tusk government, want to bring millions of culturally alien migrants to Poland," the organisers claimed. Bąkiewicz declared that "Germany is waging a hybrid war against Poland". The demonstrators carried banners: "Germany, don't leave your guests on our doorstep", "Christian Poland, not Muslim". They chanted "This is Poland" and "Down with the European Union". Among the demonstrators was a small group wearing face coverings and displaying neo-Nazi symbols, including the Celtic cross.
The mayor of Słubice refused to allow the protest on the grounds of 'public safety', and a court refused to overturn his decision. The event was not peaceful. Police intervened when demonstrators tried to set up symbolic barricades.
The demonstration was organised in response to the fact that every year Berlin sends back hundreds of asylum seekers who have applied for protection in Poland before travelling to Germany while their application is still being processed (the so-called Dublin procedure). Since Germany reintroduced border controls with Poland in 2023 (read more in the September 2024 issue), it has also turned back thousands of migrants at the border if they do not have a legal right to be in Germany.
According to the current Polish government, the strengthening of the dam on the border with Belarus and the fight against smugglers have made the eastern border much tighter than it was under the Law and Justice party. Jacek Dobrzynski, a spokesman for the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Administration, wrote on the X portal that Germany sent back 968 people to Poland in 2023 and only 688 in 2024. The number of migrants returned under the Dublin procedure fell by 18%, while the number returned under the readmission procedure fell by 37%.
After the European Council summit in Brussels, Prime Minister Donald Tusk declared that “because of the migratory pressure, because of how many refugees we have from Ukraine, that we have this problem on the eastern border, Poland will not implement these points of the treaty.” “We will not accept migrants from other European countries,” Donald Tusk stressed.
Polls & Trends
Party Support
Opinia24 for tvn24.pl, 17-21.03.2025
Civic Coalition 34,8%
PiS 27%
Confederation 18,5%
Third Way 7,1%
Left 4,6%
Together 2,4%
Presidential election
Pollster for Super Express, 1.04.2025
Rafał Trzaskowski 35%
Karol Nawrocki 23%
Sławomir Mentzen 19%
Szymon Hołownia 8%
Adrian Zandberg 4%
Magdalena Biejat 3%
Grzegorz Braun 3%
Artur Bartoszewicz 1%
Marek Jakubiak 1%
Second round:
Scenario I
Rafał Trzaskowski 57%
Karol Nawrocki 43%
Scenario II
Rafał Trzaskowski 55%
Sławomir Mentzen 45%