1. law, govt and politics
2. government

Friday, June 26, 2015, no. 122/2015
TOP STORY
POLITICS
GENERAL
Poland will have to reckon
with Ukrainian migrants foreign minister
INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS
UPCOMING EVENTS
If fighting in eastern Ukraine
resumes, Poland will have to take
into account that more migrants
from Ukraine will enter the country,
Foreign Minister Grzegorz Schetyna
MUSIC & ARTS GUIDE
BUSINESS
said on Thursday.
WEATHER
FORECAST
June 26, 2015
Gdańsk
22°C 20°C 1011 hPa
Kraków
23°C 20°C 987 hPa
Poznań
22°C 20°C 1006 hPa
Warszawa
22°C 19°C 1005 hPa
Wrocław
25°C 24°C 1002 hPa
"We are speaking about voluntary intake ... I am confident that quotas
will not be imposed", Schetyna told reporters with reference to the
European Union summit starting in Brussels on Thursday with
immigration as one of the items on the agenda.
"The situation is serious. Europe has to deal with illegal migration, not
only the people who are already in the EU as immigrants but also those
who are preparing for migration", he added.
Schetyna pointed out that Poland was raising the issue of "a threat of
illegal migration from the east", namely Ukraine.
"If fighting resumes in eastern Ukraine, we have to be prepared that
there will be more immigrants from Ukraine, and we will have to deal with
that as well", Poland's foreign minister continued.
"There are some 1 million people in domestic migration, meaning
migrants who have left the Donbas region ... and want to leave Ukraine.
There are many challenges for us in the east. We have strong
arguments here for the Brussels debate", Schetyna also said. (PAP)
dj/
POLITICS
25-06-2015
KIDAWA-BLONSKA
ELECTED POLAND'S
LOWER HOUSE
SPEAKER
Malgorzata Kidawa-Blonska on Thursday was elected the new
speaker of the Sejm (lower house).
Kidawa-Blonska, backed by the ruling coalition of the Civic Platform (PO)
and the Polish People's Party (PSL), replaces Radoslaw Sikorski who
resigned from the post in face of an ongoing wire-tapping scandal.
Kidawa-Blonska, up to now spokesperson for the Ewa Kopacz
government and long-time MP, was backed by 244 MPs in the 460-seat
chamber (441 MPs were present during the vote). Her rival candidate,
1 / 17
Democratic Left Alliance (SLD) MP Jerzy Wenderlich was backed by 43
deputies. (PAP) aa/
25-06-2015
POLAND HAS
STRONG ALLY IN
UNITED STATES PM
"We have a strong ally that is concerned about the peace and
security of countries like Poland", PM Ewa Kopacz said on Polish
Radio One, the Government Information Centre (CIR) reported in
a Thursday press release.
Commenting on the decision to deploy U.S. military hardware in Poland,
PM Kopacz added that she was very pleased that such a decision had
been reached.
"It means strengthening NATO's flank and is the effect of our good
relations with the United States. It is also a good response to what is
happening in Ukraine", the Polish prime minister was quoted as saying.
Asked about Russia's recent response to a U.S. presence in this part of
Europe, including to setting up an anti-missile shield, Kopacz said that
talks on the shield "were in progress much earlier than in the last few
months and already then caused similar reactions from Russia".
"Russia does not understand one thing. Today Ukraine is our neighbour
and is entitled to have European aspirations and also has a right to
integrity and sovereignty", the PM was also quoted as saying.
Kopacz underlined that unless Russia met the obligations stemming from
the Minsk accords, the European Union would "have to impose more
sanctions (on Russia), and certainly to continue the ones already in
place". (PAP)
dj/
25-06-2015
OPPOSITION'S
CANDIDATE FOR PM
FOR LIQUIDATION
OF TREASURY
MINISTRY
Opposition-backed candidate for the next PM Beata Szydlo has
announced plans to form two new ministries - of development
and energy, and at the same time to liquidate the existing
Ministry of the Treasury.
Szydlo, who organised Andrzej Duda's recent successful presidential
election campaign, has been put forward by the right-wing Law and
Justice (PiS) as the party's candidate to lead the Polish government after
a possible victory in the autumn general elections.
Beata Szydlo in an extensive interview carried by the Thursday edition of
the Rzeczpospolita daily stressed she would want to increase the role of
the Ministry of Economy and move away from the habit that the
government's economic policy is dictated by the finance minister.
"This is a departure from the present model in which the finance minister
dictates the government's economic policy. A finance minister must be a
guardian of the budget and look after the proper functioning of the tax
system and this does not always go along with a broad look on
development," commented Szydlo.
She added that her party wants to increase the role of a minister who
2 / 17
would outline long-term development targets and be able to look ahead
further than one budget year.
Beata Szydlo said PiS proposes the setting up of a ministry of energy
and the liquidation of the Ministry of the Treasury. Its duties would be
taken over by the Economy Ministry.
Asked what would be the driving force of economic growth if PiS stands
at the helm of the government, Szydlo replied: "We must raise
consumption."
"In order to achieve this we need new jobs and wages sufficient for
people not only to meet day-to-day existence demands but also allowing
them to invest, to buy new flats and be at ease that mortgages do not
become too big a burden."
"Building the Polish economy has to begin with extending support for our
entrepreneurs. If they start to form new jobs and raise production, then
the state budget will benefit as well," said Szydlo adding that this requires
changes in the tax system which would promote investment. (PAP) aa/
25-06-2015
FOREIGN MINISTER
ON DIASPORA
POLICY
Polish diasporas worldwide comprise around 20 million people,
for whose support the Polish government designates PLN 163
million annually, Foreign Minister Grzegorz Schetyna Thursday
told the Senate (upper house).
Schetyna, who presented the house with an annual report on the
government's diaspora policy, said Polish communities abroad
represented a vast potential and were the object of the government's
responsibility and concern. In this context he suggested cooperation in
diaspora policy between the ministry and the Senate, and declared the
will to appoint a mixed task team to work on a law regulating diaspora aid.
Reminding that his ministry has been in charge of the government's
diaspora support budget for almost four years, Schetyna said that there
were complaints about the financing, many of which related to
discrepancies between Polish financial regulations and diaspora needs.
Improving the situation, Schetyna said, could be a task for the mixed
ministry-Senate commission.
Schetyna stressed that the Ukrainian-Russian conflict was very harshly
felt by Polish communities in Ukraine and informed that most families
evacuated to Poland from east Ukraine's conflict-ridden Donbas region
will be moved to permanent locations after the end of the current school
year.
Schetyna noted that cooperation in diaspora policy with local authorities
was insufficient and announced a conference on the matter still this year,
probably in September.
In the context of minority rights, Schetyna noted a worsening in this
respect in Lithuania, especially with regard to Polish schooling and
bilingual public information. He also mentioned problems suffered by the
Polish diaspora in Belarus, which refused to recognise the legally-elected
authorities of the country's Union of Poles in Belarus.
3 / 17
"It is time for these countries to see that their Polish minorities (...)
constitute a huge potential and a bridge in our neighbourly cooperation,
and not a threat", the minister remarked.
Schetyna also voiced concern over the situation of Polish schools in
Britain after announcement about the discontinuation of GCE-level Polish
language examinations. In this context he said steps in the matter were
being undertaken by his ministry, the Education Ministry, the Britishbased Polish Educational Society and the Polish Embassy in London.
He added that earlier this week British Minister of State for Schools
Nicolas Gibb assured Polish Education Minister Joanna KluzikRostkowska that the Polish language exams will be continued as to date.
The Senators also asked about further aid for Poles in Ukraine's conflict
areas, Polish-German round table talks, the Polish Charter, problems
with parental rights in Norway and Germany, and plans to close down
Polish diplomatic missions. (PAP)
mb/
25-06-2015
NEW FORMAT OF
TALKS WITH RUSSIA
NEEDED UKRAINE'S
AMBASSADOR
The Minsk agreement negotiated in the Normandy-format talks
has fallen short of expectations pinned on it and if it fails a
different format of talks with Russia is needed, says Andriy
Deshchytsia, the Ukrainian ambassador to Poland.
In order to stop Russia from violating international law and the existing
international order in Europe the West needs a better format of talks with
Russia and a coalition with a strong role of the United States and the
remaining G7 states, the ambassador argued at "New Cold War in
Europe?" conference in Warsaw Thursday.
"Ukraine has tried to stop Russia, to force the implementation of the
Minsk agreements and to restore control over state borders, not
forgetting about the Crimea," Deshchytsia went on. Russia, in turn, has
attempted "to tire the world with the Crimea and Donbas" so that the
world accepts Russian conditions. Russia wants to control Ukraine and
make it fully dependent on the Kremlin, he claimed.
Western sanctions against Russia must be made more effective, the
ambassador also said. (PAP)
jh/
25-06-2015
STANISLAW
WZIATEK NAMED
SPECIAL SERVICES
COMMITTEE HEAD
Stanislaw Wziatek from the Democratic Left Alliance (SLD) will be
the new head of the lower house special services committee in
place of Marek Biernacki, who has been appointed secretary of
state in the prime minister's chancellery.
Wziatek's deputies on the committee will be Zbigniew Sosnowski (Polish
People's Party) and Krzysztof Brejza (Civic Platform).
Besides electing Wziatek to its new chairman, the committee heard
progress reports on the military intelligence and counterintelligence
budgets. (PAP) mb/
4 / 17
25-06-2015
KUKIZ TO MEET
SUPPORTERS OVER
REFERENDUM
Anti-establishment campaigner Pawel Kukiz, who came third in
the first round of the recent presidential election with support at
over 20 percent, will meet his supporters on Saturday to discuss
the September referendum on single-seat constituencies.
Introduction of the first-past-the-post voting system, or single-seat
constituencies, was Pawel Kukiz's main postulate in the presidential
ballot. His surprisingly high support spurred President Bronislaw
Komorowski to call a referendum on the matter.
Kukiz has invited journalists and the single-mandate system supporters
for the Saturday debate to Lubin, south-west Poland.
"It is not a founding convention of a movement or a policy discussion. In
Lubin on Saturday we will hold a meeting of single-seat constituency
supporters. This referendum is now the most important (...), that's why
we want to ensure attendance at a level that will make it valid," Pawel
Kukiz told PAP. In Poland, referenda results are binding if at least 50
percent of eligible voters go to the polls.
Kukiz added that in July he would tour the country to meet local
inhabitants and campaign for the single-mandate idea and encourage
voters to take part in the referendum.
He added that he had decided to shelve the parliamentary campaign for
a later date and focus on the referendum first.
In the September 6 referendum, Poles will be asked three questions: if
they are in favour of single-seat constituencies, if they favour the existing
system of financing political parties from the state budget, and if they
support a general principle that tax law doubts should be resolved in
taxpayers' favour. (PAP)
jd/
25-06-2015
MOST POLES
UNAWARE OF
REFERENDUM
QUESTIONS SURVEY
Fifty-eight percent of Poles do not know what the September 6
national referendum called by President Bronislaw Komorowski
will be about, a CBOS poll shows.
Thirty-nine percent of those polled said that they had knowledge on what
the referendum would be about specifically, though only 17 percent were
sure of what they knew.
Forty-one percent of respondents said that they would definitely take
part in the referendum while 19 percent said it was likely. Twenty-five
percent were undecided. Six percent said they were thinking of not going
and 9 percent were sure they would not go.
In the referendum Poles will be asked three questions: if they are in
favour of single-seat constituencies, if they favour the existing system of
financing political parties from the state budget, and if they support a
general principle that tax law doubts should be resolved in taxpayers'
favour.
5 / 17
The poll shows that 54 percent of respondents support single-seat
constituencies and 18 percent are against them. Seventy-five percent
are in favour of changing the system for financing political parties while
15 percent want things to stay as they are. Asked about the third issue,
82 percent of those polled want to see tax law doubts resolved in
taxpayers' favour while 5 percent are against such a general principle.
For the referendum to be binding, more than half of eligible voters have
to take part.
CBOS conducted the survey on a nationwide representative group on
June 11-17, just before the referendum campaign launched on June 19.
(PAP)
dj/
25-06-2015
YES TO
SOLIDARITY, NO TO
QUOTAS ON
IMMIGRANTS KOPACZ
Poland is ready to exercise solidarity on the issue of illegal
immigrants to the EU but insists on voluntary decisions by each
nation instead of mandatory quotas proposed by the EC, said PM
Ewa Kopacz before going to the EU summit on Thursday.
Voluntary admissions were the key word in the European Council
decision made at its previous meeting, Kopacz pointed out.
Unfortunately, the EC all of a sudden put forward the quota proposal, the
PM said.
Under the algorithm proposed by the EC Poland would have to admit
2,659 migrants from Syria and Eritrea who fled to Italy and Greece.
"To me solidarity implies responsibility," Kopacz argued. "Poland has
admitted Ukrainians (...), Chechens and declared it would admit 60
Syrian families because we know that our logistic and financial
possibilities are sufficient to meet the expectations of those people. They
will be treated right, will have a chance to learn the language and
assimilate," she went on.
"(...) we want to help but in a responsible way," she explained. (PAP)
jh/
GENERAL
25-06-2015
POLISH
LAWMAKERS PASS
IVF LAW
The Sejm (lower house) on Thursday passed a law on treating
infertility, among other things regulating the use of in vitro
fertilisation (IVF) procedures.
The law was passed by a vote of 261 in favour, 176 against and six
abstentions.
Under the law, whose draft was drawn up by the Health Ministry, IVF will
be available to married couples and couples in cohabitation (based on
their declaration). IVF treatment will be possible once other methods of
treating infertility are exhausted after being applied for at least 12
months.
6 / 17
The law allows for fertilisation of a maximum of six eggs. Embryos may be
donated but may not be used for any other purpose than in vitro
fertilisation.
The law forbids pre-implantation genetic diagnostics aimed at choosing
phenotypic characteristics such as gender.
The law also forbids the destruction of embryos capable of development;
the punishment envisaged for this is six months to five years in prison.
(PAP)
dj/
25-06-2015
SEJM PASSES
AGRICULTURAL
SYSTEM ACT
The Sejm (lower house) on Thursday passed an act regulating the
agricultural system in Poland. The new regulations are to curb
land buyouts by foreigners.
Under the new laws land purchase will be open only to persons who
intend to cultivate it and have been registered in the community in which
it is located or a neighbouring community for 5 years. Other regulations
impose supervision over the funds designated for the purchase and
state requirements regarding the buyer's professional qualifications.
The act also forbids land purchase by persons and companies
possessing more than 300 hectares of land and introduces a 10-year
ban on sales of land purchased from the state.
Agriculture Minister Marek Sawicki said that the new laws were patterned
on French solutions and in keeping with Polish, EU and constitutional
law, and will not be questioned by the EC as in the case of a similar
Hungarian act.
EU laws forbid the discrimination by national laws of persons and firms
from other EU countries. On these grounds the EC recently questioned
land sale laws passed in Lithuania, Hungary, Bulgaria and Slovakia.
The passage of the new legislations hangs together with the 2016 expiry
of Poland's transition period on land sales. (PAP)
mb/
25-06-2015
CIVILIAN PLANES TO
GAIN BROADER
ACCESS TO
MILITARY AIRFIELDS
The Sejm (lower house) on Thursday passed a bill amending the
Aviation Law to give civilian planes greater possibilities of using
military airports in Poland.
At present civilian planes may land at only a few military airports. Other
NATO countries commonly use civilian planes for military transports and
allow them to land at their military airports.
The amendments open the possibility for the use of civilian transport
planes for delivering supplies to Polish military contingents stationed
abroad.
7 / 17
However, in tune with the amended law the use of a military airport by a
civilian aircraft will require permission from the operational commander of
the Polish Armed Forces.
The Polish army has been using civilian transport, for example within the
NATO Strategic Airlift Interim Solution. The procedure was applied,
among others, during transports to Afghanistan conducted by planes
chartered in Russia and Ukraine.
The changes are to annually save some PLN 36-37 million in budget
funds.
The bill will now be sent to the Senate. (PAP)
aa/
25-06-2015
MPS FOR CHANGES
IN LOCAL BORDER
TRAFFIC WITH
UKRAINE
Poland's lower house authorised the president to ratify a
protocol amending an agreement with Ukraine on local border
traffic.
The amendment, among other things, extends the time of stay in the
border zone from 60 to 90 days.
The amended agreement also eliminates consular fees for those
applying for a second and successive local border traffic permit and lifts
the obligation to possess health insurance while in the border zone. Any
health care costs would be covered by visiting persons on their own.
The amendment to the agreement on local border traffic between the two
countries was signed by Polish and Ukrainian Presidents Bronislaw
Komorowski and Petr Poroshenko in December 2014.
Local border traffic with Ukraine has been in force since July 2009. (PAP)
aa/
25-06-2015
NEW CONSULAR
BILL PASSED IN
POLAND
Proceedings before consuls, consular fees and rules for
appointing consuls are among the matters regulated by a new bill
passed by the Sejm (lower house) on Thursday.
The legislation introduces the notion of consular assistance, defining it
as assistance provided to Polish citizens in events such as serious
accidents or illnesses, arrest, acts of violence or situations necessitating
an emergency return to Poland when a person does not have sufficient
funds.
The bill also regulates the activity of honorary consuls and defines the
tasks of consuls in case of events in their regions that endanger the
health, life or safety of Polish citizens.
Under the new law, Polish consuls will be obligated to provide consular
assistance to citizens of other European Union member countries that do
not have a diplomatic mission or consulate in the host country. (PAP)
dj/
8 / 17
25-06-2015
PRESIDENT
KOMOROWSKI
GRANTED
LITHUANIAN
HONORARY
DOCTORATE
President Bronislaw Komorowski has been granted an honorary
doctorate by Vytautas Magnus University in Kaunas, Lithuanian
media reported on Thursday.
The honorary degree was awarded for "strengthening democracy,
developing good relations between Poland and Lithuania and cultivating
the values of national cultures".
President Komorowski will be presented with the honorary doctorate on
June 30 during his stay in Kaunas on the second day of a two-day trip to
Latvia and Lithuania.
The ceremony is to be attended by Lithuania's Prime Minister Algirdas
Butkevicius and Foreign Minister Linas Linkevicius, PAP has been
informed by the university in Kaunas. (PAP)
dj/
25-06-2015
SEJM PASSES
COST-FREE LEGAL
AID BILL
The Sejm on Thursday passed an act instituting cost-free legal
aid for indigent, aged and young people. The new laws were
announced by PM Ewa Kopacz in her policy speech.
The act went through in a 427 to 1 vote with one abstention.
Under the new laws indigent, elderly (over 65) and young people (up to
26) as well as veterans, Large Family Card holders and victims of natural
disatsers will be eligible for cost-free legal aid.
The house rejected amendments to the act filed by rightwing
oppositionist Law and Justice (PiS), under which the new laws would also
apply to persons whose family income does not exceed the minimum
wage quota in the year in which they receive legal aid.
Foreseen is the institution of more than fifteen hundred cost-free legal
aid points countrywide, to start operation from January 1, 2016. County
authorities will be able to cede the management of one half of the legal
aid points on their territories to NGOs.
Robert Maciaszek from ruling party Civic Platform (PO) said the new laws
will embrace 22 million Poles.
The introduction of the cost-free aid regulations were announced by PM
Ewa Kopacz in her policy speech. (PAP)
mb/
INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS
25-06-2015
INTERNATIONAL
AFFAIRS
Beirut: Islamic State fighters have launched simultaneous attacks
against Syrian government and Kurdish militia forces, moving back onto
the offensive after losing ground in recent days to Kurdish-led forces
near the capital of their "caliphate".
9 / 17
Islamic State sought to retake the initiative with incursions into the
Kurdish-held town of Kobani at the Turkish border and government-held
areas of Hasaka city in the northeast.
In a separate offensive in the multi-sided Syrian civil war, an alliance of
rebels in the south of the country also launched an attack with the aim of
driving government forces from the city of Deraa.
The attacks by Islamic State follow a rapid advance by Kurdish-led forces
deep into the hardline group's territory, to within 50 km (30 miles) of its
de facto capital Raqqa.
The dual assaults on government forces in Hasaka and Deraa, both
provincial capitals, are a test of Assad's resolve to hold out in remote
outposts beyond the western part of the country that is seen as the top
priority for his survival.
Brussels: Russian President Vladimir Putin is not done in eastern
Ukraine, NATO's top commander said on Thursday, cautioning that
Russia has been building up supplies on its border with Ukraine and
keeping its military options open.
U.S. General Philip Breedlove, NATO's supreme allied commander, said
the border between Ukraine and Russia was "wide open," allowing free
movement of equipment and supplies.
Force levels on Russia's side of the border had not changed much in
recent months, Breedlove said, but U.S. military officials had observed in
Russia a "stocking of important supplies, ammunition, etc, to levels that
would support operations".
Inside Ukraine, where pro-Russian separatists are battling Ukrainian
forces, Breedlove said "we see a force that has been trained, that is led
by Russian leadership, ... and is ready to do whatever mission is
required of it in the Donbass (region)."
"I don't think Mr. Putin is done in eastern Ukraine," Breedlove told
reporters, and Kiev, despite Moscow's hopes, was still looking to the
West for support.
Washington: The United States' intelligence chief said on Thursday that
China was the top suspect in a hack of a U.S. agency that compromised
the personnel records of millions of Americans, the Wall Street Journal
reported on Thursday.
The comments from Director of National Intelligence James Clapper
marked a departure of sorts for the Obama administration, which has
avoided publicly pointing to Beijing, even as officials said privately China
likely was behind the attack.
"You have to kind of salute the Chinese for what they did," given the
difficulty of the intrusion, the Journal quoted Clapper as saying at a
Washington intelligence conference.
The Office of Personnel Management said this month that personnel
data on 4.2 million current and former federal employees had been
compromised in the attack, although some media have reported that as
10 / 17
many as 18 million Americans could have been affected.
The Hague: The Palestinian Authority made its first submission of
evidence of alleged Israeli war crimes to the International Criminal Court
on Thursday, trying to speed up an ICC inquiry into abuses committed
during last year's Gaza conflict.
The move may leave Israel in a quandary since it must decide whether to
cooperate with the ICC investigation or find itself isolated as one of a
very few countries that have declined to work with its prosecutors.
Israel denies allegations of war crimes by its forces during the 2014 Gaza
war and accuses Islamist militants who control the Gaza Strip of atrocities
in firing thousands of rockets at Israeli population centres.
Athens: Greek lawmakers passed a bitterly-contested law on citizenship
for the children of migrants on Thursday, in a vote that split the ruling
coalition but pointed towards possible alternative alliances for the ruling
Syriza party.
The measure, on a highly divisive issue, passed with 172 votes in the
300-seat parliament. All but one of the Independent Greeks, junior
coalition partners in Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras' government, voted
against the bill.
The legislation grants citizenship to migrants' children who have been
born and raised in Greece, a measure long opposed by conservative
parties.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Friday, June 26:
UPCOMING EVENTS
- PM Ewa Kopacz attends EU summit (in Brussels)
(PAP)
MUSIC & ARTS GUIDE
MUSIC AND ARTS
GUIDE
- Concert: The 25th Mozart Festival in Warsaw, a symphonic concert of
- radi/O/pera - a concert of the Musicae Antiquae Collegium Varsoviense
of the Warsaw Chamber Opera under Zbigniew Pilch. In the programme:
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Symphony No. 31 in D major, K. 297/300a,
better known as the Paris Symphony, Violin Concerto in G major K 216
and Haffner Serenade in D major KV 250 [248b]. The Witold Lutoslawski
Concert Studio of the Polish Radio, 59 Modzelewskiego St., Fri., June 26,
7:00 p.m.
- Opera: The 25th Mozart Festival in Warsaw. Wolfgang Amadeus
Mozart's "Die Zauberfloete KV 620 (The Magic Flute), opera in two acts,
in the original German. Libretto by Emanuel Schikaneder, staging and
direction by Ryszard Peryt, music director - Ruben Silva, stage design Andrzej Sadowski. The Warsaw Chamber Opera Theatre, 76b
Solidarnosci Ave., Sat. and Sun., June 27 and 28, 7:00 p.m.
11 / 17
- Concert: "Summer concerts at Grochowska", a concert of the Sinfonia
Varsovia Academy students. In the programme: Sergei Prokofev,
Benjamin Britten, Johann Sebastian Bach, Dmitri Shostakovich, Eugene
Ysaye, Amilcare Ponchielli. The Sinfonia Varsovia Orchestra seat, 272
Grochowska St., Sat., June 27, 4:00 p.m., free admission.
- Opera: "Guillaume Tell", opera in four acts by Gioacchino Rossini with
libretto by Victor-Joseph Etienne de Jouy and Hippolyte-Louis-Florent
Bis, co-oproduced
by Welsh National Opera, Cardiff; Houston Grand Opera; Grand Theatre
de Geneve
In the original French with Polish surtitles. Guillaume Tell, a story about a
Swiss national hero is unquestionably the composer's most perfect score
to which he devoted almost six months. The Teatr Wielki - Polish National
Opera, the Moniuszko Auditorium, Teatralny Sq., Sat., June 27, 7:00 p.m.
- Concert: Open-air concert at the Chopin Monument in the Royal
Lazienki Park. Warsaw's famous art deco memorial to Chopin was
erected in 1926 and restored in 1958 after WW2. Summer concerts at
the monument organized for over 55 years by the Chopin Society and
the City of Warsaw take place every Sunday from mid-May until the end
of September and are a great tourist attraction. Sun., June 28, 12:00
noon (Louis Alvanis, Great Britain) and 16:00 hrs (Neal Larrabee, USA),
free admission.
- Concert: "Summer concerts at Grochowska", a concert of the Integro
ensemble (Agnieszka Guz - violin, Aleksnadra Demowska-Madejska viola and Ania Karpowicz - flute). In the programme: Max Reger, Gustav
Holst, Ignacy Zalewski and Mikolaj Gorecki. The Sinfonia Varsovia
Orchestra seat, 272 Grochowska St., Sun., June 28, 4:00 p.m., free
admission.
- Exhibition: "John Lurie, I am trying to think. Please be quiet", exhibition
of works by John Lurie who this time returns to Warsaw as a painter. This
charismatic artist is best known to the Polish public thanks to his music
and film roles. In the 1990s, he twice appeared at the Sala Kongresowa
concert hall, with John Lurie National Orchestra, and with his famous
band, The Lounge Lizards. After his illness made him give up acting and
making music he turned to painting. On show are John Lurie's paintings
that earlier were shown in many esteemed galleries throughout the world,
including the Contemporary Art Center in New York, Musee des BeauxArts de Montreal, the Musee d'Art Moderne Grand-Duc Jean in
Luxembourg and the Watari Museum of Contemporary Art in Tokyo. The
Zacheta National Gallery of Art, 3 Malachowskiego Sq., on view through
Aug. 2.
- Exhibition: "Masterpieces of Japanese Art in Polish Collections",
exhibition of the most precious examples of Japanese painting, sculpture
and handicraft from Polish public collections. The display, organised in
cooperation with Manggha Museum in Krakow, is an attempt to recreate
in Warsaw the exhibition that marked the 25th anniversary of the
Museum in Krakow. On show are some 300 masterpieces of painting,
graphic arts and handicraft whose richness and diversity of form and
decoration techniques bring the audience closer to the extraordinary and
brightly-coloured world of Japanese art, which has for years enjoyed
much popularity in Poland. The National Museum in Warsaw, 3
Jerozolimskie Ave., on view through Aug. 9.
12 / 17
- Exhibition: "Endless-Noktasiz" exhibition co-organised by the
Association of Women Artists of Ankara, the Embassy of the Turkish
Republic in Warsaw and the Yunus Emre Turkish Cultural Centre in
Warsaw to present works by the Association members which represent a
new period of their artistic experience, maturity and their unique artistic
manners. The exhibition has been named after the words of the wellknown Turkish poet Ozdemir Asaf, whose poetry has become an
inspiration for it. The Saska Kepa Cultural Centre, 23 Brukselska St., on
view through July 9.(PAP)
BUSINESS
25-06-2015
SEJM RESTRICTS
FIXED-TERM WORK
CONTRACTS
The Sejm (lower house) Thursday restricted the extension of
fixed-term work contracts to 33 months. According to the labour
minister the new regulations will give Poles better chances for
fixed employment.
The change went through in a 423 to 5 vote with four abstentions.
Explaining the idea behind the new laws before the vote, Labour Minister
Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz said that they raised chances for stable
employment and good pay.
"This act strengthens the employee's position and enables the
application of the labour code to employment contracts", KosiniakKamysz explained. According to the minister the new rules will "end the
trash contract era in Poland".
Under the new laws fixed-term employment will not be able to exceed 33
months and three contracts, the fourth work contract will have to be
indefinite.
According to the government the change will bring more stability to the
labour market.
The act, which will now be passed through the Senate (upper house), will
come in force six months after publication. (PAP)
mb/
25-06-2015
SEJM OKAYS NEW
SOCIAL DIALOGUE
BODY
Poland's Sejm (lower house) on Thursday voted for the
establishment of the Social Dialogue Council, an advisory body
whose members represent the government, employers and
workers. The Council is to replace the failed Trilateral
Commission.
Four hundred and twenty-five MPs voted for the bill, three were against
and one abstained.
13 / 17
The new body will have a chairman who will rotate between the three
parties. The body will have new powers in adopting and reviewing legal
acts and presenting reports to parliament.
The Council can be assisted by representatives of the president and the
heads of the central bank and the statistical office, as well as
representatives of social and professional organisations that are not
formal members of the Council.
The Social Dialogue Council will also have its provincial branches.
The employees and employers will issue opinions on legal acts proposed
by the government within 30 days from the reception of a draft
regulation. If the government chooses to ignore the opinion of its social
dialogue partners, it will have to inform the Council and present a
rationale for its position in the draft law filed with parliament, according to
an earlier statement by the Government Information Centre (CIR).
Employees and employers will have powers to put forward joint legislative
projects.
The new body is to replace the failed Trilateral Commission which
practically dissolved in 2013 when trade unions, frustrated with
ineffective cooperation with the government, suspended their
participation.
The law will now have to be approved by the Senate. (PAP)
jd/
25-06-2015
SEJM PASSES
THIRD
DEREGULATION
TRANCHE
The Polish Sejm (lower house) on Thursday passed the third
deregulation tranche which reduces restrictions in access to
even more professions. In all three tranches, Poland has
deregulated 247 jobs.
Seventy professions are no longer regulated and access to the
remaining ones has been made easier.
Two hundred and fifty-six MPs voted in favour of the deregulation, two
were against and 176 abstained.
The professions deregulated in the third tranche include fire fighting,
geological and mining jobs, as well as sworn translators and stock
brokers, among others.
"The facilitation will consist in reducing professional internships, allowing
for self-education, lowering maximum rates for professional exams,
exemption from written exam in the case of professional experience,
abolishing some bureaucratic requirements and introducing flexibility to
employment conditions, said a rapporteur of the Sejm committee that had
prepared the changes.
The first deregulation tranche that covered 51 professions was passed in
June 2013 and was followed by 96 more professions in the second
deregulation move of May 2014. (PAP) jd/
14 / 17
25-06-2015
POLAND'S
AUTOMOTIVE
EXPORTS ON THE
RISE - REPORT
The value the Polish automotive exports reached EUR 5.35 billion
during the 1st quarter of this year with March recording a recordhigh level of PLN 1.97 billion, according to the industry
monitoring firm AutomotiveSuppliers.pl.
Traditionally Germany remained the top importer. In March alone 30.5
percent of Poland's automotive-related exports was directed to Germany.
Next came Great Britain (10.37 pct), Italy (10.08 pct) and the Czech
Republic (6.5 pct).
The value of exported passenger cars and vans in the 1st quarter
reached EUR 1.62 billion and of spare parts and accessories EUR 2.22
billion.
The export of diesel engines reached EUR 583.3 million. 79 percent of
the engines were exported to EU countries. (PAP)
(PAP)
aa/
25-06-2015
BANKING
SENTIMENT
INDICATOR DOWN
2.5 POINTS M/M IN
JUNE
Poland's banking sentiment indicator Pengab went down 2.5
points month-on-month to 20.7 points in June 2015, according to
the Polish Bank Association (ZBP) and TNS Polska market
research centre.
The projection index fell 6.7 points from the previous month to 21.4
points and the current situation assessment index grew 1.6 points to 20.0
points.
The index of projected household loans fell by 9.0 points month-onmonth to 58.0 points and the assessment index of the segment grew by
8.0 points to 38.0 points.
The index of projected corporate loans fell 3.0 points month-on-month to
27.0 points while the assessment index of the segment went grew 7.0
points to 17.0 points. (PAP)
aa/
25-06-2015
CONSUMER MOODS
IMPROVE IN JUNE STATS OFFICE
Consumer moods, both current and anticipated, improved in
June against the May levels, a survey conducted by the Central
Statistical Office (GUS) and published on Thursday shows.
The current consumer confidence index (BWUK) reflecting current trends
in individual consumption grew by 3.2 percentage points month-onmonth to minus 10.4 points, GUS reported.
Compared to June 2014, BWUK is 5.0 percentage points higher, GUS
added.
Most of the BWUK index components improved over the past month,
especially regarding the assessment of the future economic situation of
the country (up 9.4 percentage points).
15 / 17
The anticipated consumer confidence index (WWUK) went up by 5.5
percentage points month-on-month to minus 11.7 points. The index is
7.1 percentage points higher than in June 2014. (PAP)
aa/
25-06-2015
POLISH
CONSTRUCTION
MARKET SEEN
GROWING 6.8 PCT
IN 2015
Poland's construction market is seen to grow in 2015 by 6.8
percent year-on-year mainly thanks to a new pool of EU funds and
the good condition of office space and housing markets,
according to Coface credit insurer.
Coface analysts predict a rebound in the construction sector before the
end of the year and point to growing demand and rise of prices of
building materials, especially cement and aggregates.
Experts also point to an increased number of job offers in the sector (up
13 pct in 2014).
"The latest EU financial perspective is a great chance for the Polish
construction sector. Effects of its positive impact will be palpable in a
short while. This will be an opportunity for firms to generate profits but
also introduce necessary changes. The limited time of prosperity will be a
good occasion to prepare for the following years when EU funds will run
out," Skanska SA CEO Krzysztof Andrulewicz has told PAP.
According to the Central Statistical Office, representatives of
construction firms, especially the bigger ones, are optimistic about new
orders, production and financing perspectives.
"Large companies, implementing infrastructure projects often cofinanced from EU funds, should feel the sectoral boom in 2016, after the
allocation of EU funds to construction market sectors, which will most
likely take place in the second half of 2015," Jaroslaw Dabrowski, a
director at Deloitte's financial advisory department, has told PAP.
Growth is forecasted especially in road building and housing.
According to Coface, some PLN 103 billion of EU funds will be allocated
for structural strengthening. Own funds may reach up to PLN 500 billion
to 2020, or 30 percent of Poland's annual GDP. Roads are to consume
some PLN 95 billion. (PAP)
aa/
25-06-2015
WIG 20 up 0.25 percent to 2,354.74 points
WARSAW STOCK
EXCHANGE
WIG 30 went up by 0.11 percent to 2,577.02 points, the WIG index rose
by 0.05 percent to 54,141.20 points. mWIG40 decreased by 0.36
percent to 3,742.66 points. WIGdiv rose by 0.22 percent to 1,196.51
points.
One hundred and thirty-seven shares went up in price, 173 declined and
73 remained unchanged at the Warsaw Stock Exchange session on
Thursday.
16 / 17
Turnover in the continuous trading system rose to PLN 908.50 million
(USD 243.53 million).
Turnover on the futures market rose to PLN 51.27 million. (PAP)
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