POLAND: Air Pollution & more – 27th Nov 2025

Witam from Islington! This is the Rorshok Poland Update from the 27th of November twenty twenty-five. A quick summary of what's going down in Poland.

Let’s start off with environmental issues. On Friday, the 21st, the European Commission filed a complaint against Poland at the EU Court of Justice over air pollution. Nitrogen dioxide levels in Kraków and Upper Silesia, both located in the south, have been too high for years, and the Commission says Poland hasn’t done enough to fix the problem.

The case dates back to twenty sixteen, and if the court rules against Poland, the country could face fines.

Long-term exposure to nitrogen dioxide can cause asthma, heart and lung problems, and some cancers. Around 1,600 deaths in Poland each year are linked to it.

More on the EU Court, as on Tuesday, the 25th, it said Poland has to recognize same-sex marriages registered in other EU countries, including Germany, France, and Spain.

The ruling was sparked by two Polish men who married in Germany in twenty eighteen but couldn’t get their marriage registered in Poland. The court said refusing the recognition of their marriage breaks their rights to have a family, and not to be discriminated against.

Poland doesn’t have to allow same-sex marriages in the country, but it must recognize foreign same-sex marriages so they can have the same rights as other married couples in the EU. All government offices now must accept these marriages, which applies to any same-sex couples moving to Poland from other EU countries.

Some people said the EU Court went too far, while others said it’s just making sure everyone gets basic rights and fair treatment, no matter who they love.

Also on Tuesday, the 25th, Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, Poland’s defense minister, met Catherine Vautrin, his French counterpart, in Warsaw to discuss closer defense cooperation. They went over plans for joint exercises and Poland’s applications for the EU SAFE funding, an investment program that gives European countries low‑interest loans to buy or build weapons.

Kosiniak-Kamysz said Poland wants better airlift and in-air refuelling and is considering buying Airbus tankers and A400M transport planes.

Both ministers agreed on a peace plan to end the Ukraine–Russia war, saying it must follow Ukraine’s wishes and can’t let Russia take over Ukrainian territory or control its government.

Speaking of defense, on Thursday, the 20th, the lower house of Parliament gave the green light for the President to ratify a new deal with the US about hiring Polish civilian workers for American troops in Poland.

The deal updates an old twenty fifteen agreement and is part of the twenty twenty improved defense cooperation treaty. It lets the US hire Polish workers under local labor laws and cover their taxes, social security, and health insurance.

The law also lets workers’ conditions be set through collective agreements, giving them stable jobs and helping US missions in Poland run smoothly.

It also strengthens Poland-US ties and helps local job markets.

On another defense deal, on Wednesday, the 26th, Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz said that Poland picked Sweden to build three new submarines for the Navy as part of the Orka program, Poland’s plan to get three new submarines, modernize its Navy, and strengthen Baltic security.

Sweden’s offer beat out proposals from six other countries, and the government wants to sign the main agreement by the end of the year.

Kosiniak-Kamysz said that Sweden will deliver A26 Blekinge submarines made for Baltic Sea operations. Their offer also includes investments in Polish shipyards to service the submarines, plus a promise from Sweden to buy Polish weapons.

Polish sailors will also get access to a more modern training submarine starting in twenty twenty-seven.

Let’s get back to the EU for a moment. On Monday, the 24th, President Karol Nawrocki spoke at Charles University in Prague about Poland’s EU plans.

He said Poland opposes centralization and believes EU countries should stay in charge of their own decisions. He also suggested getting rid of the European Council President role.

Nawrocki also wants to change the EU voting system to reduce the influence of the biggest countries, for instance, by keeping unanimity in key decisions so that all member states have to agree independently.

He said that even though Poland wants to stay in the EU, areas like governance, justice, and security should stay under Polish control.

Remember a couple of weeks ago we reported on Poland’s gas deal with Ukraine? Well, on Friday, the 21st, Orlen, Poland’s state energy company, signed a new deal with Naftogaz, Ukraine’s energy company, to supply 300 million cubic meters of US liquefied natural gas in the first three months of next year.

Robert Soszyński, Orlen’s Vice President, said the deal shows mutual trust and helps keep the region’s energy supply secure. He added that it also strengthens the partnership and could lead to more contracts in the future.

The move comes as the EU plans to ban Russian gas imports starting in twenty twenty-seven, following the war in Ukraine.

In sports news, on Monday, the 24th, Piotr Borys, the Deputy Minister of Sport and Tourism, said that Poland is preparing to host the twenty forty Summer Olympics.

During the next two and a half years, the country will focus on several areas, including putting the government’s Polish Sport Strategy into action, improving facilities, and involving local authorities and volunteers.

The project will also set up training and accommodation centers, upgrading sports infrastructure.

Next up, on Monday, the 24th, Donald Tusk, the Prime Minister, criticized Yad Vashem, Israel’s Holocaust remembrance authority, over a social media post saying that Poland was the first country where Jews were obligated to wear a badge to separate them from the rest of the population.

Tusk said the post wrongly suggests that Poland forced Jews to wear the badges, when it was actually Nazi Germany. He asked Yad Vashem to correct the mistake and avoid similar errors.

Other Polish officials, as well as entities such as the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum, also criticized the post, emphasizing that Poland was under German occupation and that Poles and Polish Jews were victims, not perpetrators.

Yad Vashem later clarified in a new statement that the Germans issued the order. Still, Poland summoned the Israeli ambassador because the original misleading post wasn’t taken down.

Meanwhile, on Monday, the 24th, Poland held its first civil protection and civil defence fair in Poznań, in the west. One of the biggest hits was a modular tube shelter that can be buried in the backyard or under a school playground to keep people safe during attacks or emergencies.

Each tube fits a family of four and can keep them safe for up to three days. The shelters meet all civil defense standards.

The fair brought together emergency experts, first responders, and local officials to discuss how to allocate government funds for civil defense.

On health updates, on Thursday, the 20th, the healthcare online platform Kliniki.pl, in cooperation with market research company SW Research, published a report on young Polish women and their attitudes toward gynecological visits.

The report shows that over half of women born between nineteen ninety-five and twenty twelve feel too embarrassed to visit a gynecologist. Many worry they won’t be understood or might have a bad experience, and about 20% said they’d had negative experiences before. Almost half of Gen Z women said they feel anxious about going to the doctor.

The report also showed that young women are increasingly using digital tools for health chats, with about one in five turning to AI like ChatGPT, likely because they feel more comfortable with tech and a bit awkward visiting a doctor in person.

Finally, on Wednesday, the 26th, Marek Ignaszak and Marcin Mazurek, economists at mBank, wrote for the Polish financial portal money.pl that Poland’s economic growth shouldn’t rely only on new technologies.

They argue that the focus should be on building a strong work culture, improving management skills, educating workers, and keeping laws clear and stable.

Ignaszak and Mazurek say productivity isn’t just about technology—it also depends on good management, social trust, and how resources and money move in the economy.

So the easiest gains over the next decade for Poland will come from running businesses better, training workers, and keeping laws stable.

Aaand that’s it for this week! Thank you for joining us!

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