POLAND: Buffer Zone & more – 27th Jun 2024

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

Let’s start off with immigration. As we discussed in previous shows, the government decided to create a buffer zone on the Belarusian border after illegal immigrants killed one Polish soldier and injured several others when they tried to cross into Poland. Normally, a buffer zone should be free of civilians, but the main opposition, Law and Justice, said that the government allowed migration activists in the area. On Friday, the 21st, politicians from the Law and Justice party announced that they would visit the Ministry of Interior and Administration to question why the government is allowing activists in the buffer zone. The party said that those activists helped in smuggling immigrants from Belarus to Poland and obstructed the work of Polish soldiers. Law and Justice said that activists justify their presence by saying they are human rights defenders.

Still on immigration, on Thursday, the 20th, which marked World Refugee Day, the Law and Justice party published a special clip, saying that Poland was in danger of an illegal immigration invasion. The video was a montage that included a clip with Tusk saying ”Come” and right after, footage of illegal immigrants entering Poland. The party tried to imply that Tusk was responsible for bringing immigrants to the country. As a response, Tusk and his Civic Platform Party accused Law and Justice of being racist on World Refugee Day and that they were lying about accepting more illegal immigrants. Also, the members of the Civic Platform argued that Law and Justice was the one that gave the most work permits to the citizens of Islamic countries during their rule between twenty fifteen and twenty twenty-three.

Speaking of permits, on Monday, the 24th, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that the number of issued Polish visas decreased to 100 thousand this year compared to 250 thousand last year. The data covers the first six months of twenty twenty-three and twenty twenty-four. Getting a visa became difficult after the government tightened visa procedures for non-Polish people in Apri this year. Also, as of the 1st of June, people who want a Polish visa will have to pay 145 dollars instead of ninety-five.

Moving on to foreign affairs. From Saturday, the 22nd to Wednesday the 26th, President Andrzej Duda was in China for diplomatic talks. Duda and the Chinese leader Xi Jinping discussed bilateral relations, especially on business issues. Both presidents signed a trade agreement, which will be in force until twenty twenty-seven. They agreed to enhance trade, including the export of Polish meat and agricultural products such as beans and fresh blueberries to China. The countries will also improve their cooperation on intellectual property, patent policies, and artificial intelligence. After the meeting, Xi Jinping announced that China will lift visa requirements for Polish citizens for trips of up to fifteen days starting from the 1st of July, until the end of twenty twenty-five.

Next up, when countries join the EU, they promise to implement the necessary policies to adopt the euro as their currency. However, on Wednesday, the 26th, the European Commission published a report saying that Poland does not fulfill the criteria for adopting the euro as the local currency. These criteria include price stability, sound public finances, convergence in long-term interest rates, and exchange rate stability.

On that note about finances, the European Commission launched an excessive deficit procedure against Poland because the country exceeded the three percent allowance for government deficits in proportion to its GDP. The data shows Poland’s government deficit was over 3 percent in twenty twenty-two and 5 percent in twenty twenty-three.

As we talked about in previous shows, right after the parliamentary elections in twenty twenty-three, the new government accused Daniel Obajtek of influencing people with lowered energy prices right before the election campaign and helping the Law and Justice Party win. Later, Obajtek, the former CEO of Orlen, a Polish state-owned energy giant, won the European Parliamentary election and became an MP from the Law and Justice Party. The current government said that Obajtek ran in the European Parliament elections to receive immunity and escape justice. The executive wants to start procedures and demand that the EU waive Obajtek's immunity.

Polish universities continue their protests against Israel. Recall that last month, Warsaw University students kicked off demonstrations. On Thursday, the 20th, the number of protesting universities increased to eighteen. Students in other big cities such as Kraków, Szczecin, Poznań, and Wrocław demand their universities to cut their academic relations with Israeli academic institutions. After students raised their voices, the Conference of Rectors of Polish Universities, a formation that includes Polish rectors and other academicians, signed a declaration calling both sides of the conflict, Israel and Hamas, to stop their aggressions. However, students said that the declaration wasn’t enough.

Two months ago, we talked about airport authorities refusing to let a Polish woman go to Egypt after she joked about having a bomb in her luggage when security asked if she was carrying something dangerous. On Friday, the 21st, another passenger made the same mistake at Warsaw Chopin Airport and joked that he carried dynamite in his luggage. The police immediately isolated the passenger and conducted a comprehensive security check on him and his belongings. Ultimately, authorities denied him his holiday trip to Morocco and then fined him 120 dollars. Authorities warned people not to joke about bombs and explosives.

Summer is not only a time for vacations but also for seasonal work. On Wednesday, the 26th, worker recruitment companies announced that they increased wages for seasonal workers to ten percent because the Polish market needs seasonal employees for the summer. Personnel Service, a recruitment firm, published a report about the hourly wages of summer workers. According to the report, construction is one of the best-paid jobs in the summer, and people over twenty-six years old can earn up to nine dollars per hour, while younger ones can earn thirteen dollars because the government does not impose taxes on their wages. For those who want easier jobs, there are also opportunities in summer organizations, such as music festivals, hotels, restaurants, and kitesurfing, paying up to nine dollars per hour.

On Thursday, the 20th, a Polish MiG-29 fighter created a Sonic Boom, a strong shock wave generated by fighter jets when they exceed sound speed near the village of Szaleniec in Malbork. The plane was flying at 1,000 feet, or 300 meters when its shockwaves damaged the roofs and windows of the houses in the area. The General Command of the Armed Forces announced that they had temporarily removed the responsible pilot from his duties and launched an investigation. The army said it would cover the cost of the damage.

Let’s close this edition with some cultural news. On Monday, the 24th, Europe’s largest LEGO exhibition kicked off at the Millenium Hall Cultural and Shopping Center in the city of Rzeszów. The exhibition is titled The Invasion of the Giants, and it features seventy premiere models and hundreds of constructions. Organizers used nearly five million LEGO bricks to build the models, which include a spaceship inspired by the TIE Fighter from Star Wars, a three-meter Statue of Liberty, and a detailed map of Europe with star constellations. Tickets cost around ten dollars.

For more information, follow the link in the show notes!

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

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