POLAND: Duda in the COP29 & more – 14th Nov 2024

Witam from BA! This is the Rorshok Poland Update from the 14th of November twenty twenty-four. A quick summary of what's going down in Poland.

Let’s kick off this edition with some news on foreign affairs. On Friday, the 11th, President Duda gave a speech at the airport before his trip to Azerbaijan for the United Nations Climate Change Conference, or COP29, which will run until the 22nd of November. He announced that he would meet with the US President-elect Donald Trump, before his inauguration in January twenty twenty-five. His visit aims to improve relations between the United States and Poland. Meanwhile, Trump extended his greetings to the Polish people for their Independence Day, which took place on Friday, the 11th.

During his speech, Duda also criticized Prime Minister Donald Tusk for his recent call for the EU to be more independent in the military and not to rely on the US in its defense. Duda said that without the support of Donald Trump and the US, Europe cannot defend itself.

Speaking of the COP29 climate summit taking place in Baku, Azerbaijan’s capital, it focused on various key climate issues, including ambitious national commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, financing climate adaptation projects, and addressing loss and damage for vulnerable nations.

The most striking incident of the conference was that Duda declined to participate in the group photo because he didn’t want to be photographed with Alexander Lukashenko, the Belarusian president who also attended the summit. Currently, relations between the two countries are at rock bottom due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine and deliberate Belarusian efforts to push illegal immigrants to the Polish border.

Going back to the defense sector, on Wednesday, the 13th, the US missile defense base opened in Redzikowo, a village in northern Poland. In two thousand eight, Poland and the US signed an agreement to build a base equipped with Aegis Ashore systems that detect and intercept missiles, aimed at protecting NATO countries.

Radosław Sikorski, the Foreign Minister, said that the launch of the US missile defense base in Poland is an important step in strengthening the countries' cooperation for future projects.

Let’s shift our attention to internal affairs. On Saturday, the 9th, the Civic Coalition, Tusk’s party, announced they would hold primary elections to choose their candidate for the twenty twenty-five presidential elections. This primary vote will take place on the 23rd of November, and the results will be available at the beginning of December.

Two candidates will race for the candidacy. One is Rafał Trzaskowski, the mayor of Warsaw and Civic Platform’s previous presidential candidate, who is very popular and influential within his party. Sikorski, who has plenty of experience in politics and state affairs, will be the other candidate. According to the Center for Public Opinion Research poll, Trzaskowski is more likely to win.

Similarly, on Wednesday, the 13th, Szymon Hołownia, the speaker of the parliament, also announced his candidacy for the upcoming presidential election. Hołownia became more popular in politics after his appointment as parliament speaker and later, he also gained respect for his work. Even though he is a member of the Poland twenty fifty party, he said he would not represent his party and that he would be an independent candidate. While Hołownia is one of Poland's most trusted politicians, recent polls by the Polskie Radio news outlet suggest he will likely lose.

Hołownia’s candidacy means that the ruling coalition would not have the same presidential candidate.

On Thursday, the 7th, the Central Anti-Corruption Bureau started an investigation over allegations that Jacek Kurski, the former head of the main state television of TVP, caused a 100 million dollars financial loss in TVP when state television was under the control of the previous administration, Law and Justice.

Apparently, Kurski sold broadcast rights for certain sports events that belonged to TVP to Polsat Channel below the real market price to favor the channel. Even though the exact reason behind Kurski’s scheme is unknown, Polsat channel could have been associated with Law and Justice at that time. If so, probably the party asked Kurski to sell the rights at a low price so they wouldn’t have to spend much money on those broadcasts.

However, Kurski denied any wrongdoing, saying that the deals adhered to market standards, and announced plans to sue Gazeta Wyborcza, which made the allegations first.

Next up, some health news. On Friday, the 8th, the Health Ministry said the government will prohibit the sale of synthetic nicotine pouches because they are more dangerous than regular cigarettes. Synthetic nicotine pouches, also called nicotine snus, are small, tobacco-free packets with high nicotine content, and they are placed between the gum and lip for direct nicotine absorption. While the EU and Poland banned traditional tobacco-containing snus, synthetic versions have surged in popularity, especially among young people in Poland after the ban.

Also on Friday, Poland commemorated the European Day of Healthy Food, and officials warned citizens about eating too much sugar. According to a study by Radio Poland, the country is the second largest sugar consumer in Europe, just behind Belgium. The data shows that the average Pole consumes about 100 pounds of sugar every year.

Every November, the global campaign Movember encourages men worldwide and Polish men in particular to grow mustaches to help raise awareness about health issues affecting men in Poland. The campaign generally focuses on the importance of early detection and support for prostate and testicular cancer, as well as mental health.

According to the Central Statistical Office, men in Poland live seven years shorter than women, with the life expectancy being approximately seventy-three years for men and eighty-one for women. One of the main reasons for the higher mortality among Polish men is the lack of regular preventive check-ups. Also, data showed that Polish men are much less likely than women to consult doctors.

Shifting gears, on Thursday, the 7th, the police conducted a massive nationwide operation against child exploitation networks. The police from seventy regions, including major cities such as Warsaw, Gdańsk and Szczecin, conducted raids and detained seventy-five people on suspicion of pedophilia. They also confiscated over one million child exploitation files, including child pornography photos and videos. Those found guilty of producing, storing or distributing such material face up to fifteen years in prison under Polish law.

In unrelated news, on Tuesday, the 12th, football fans set a train on fire. A passenger train was carrying Legia Warszawa fans to Poznań for a football match, when it stopped on the way for safety reasons because a freight train clocked its way. During the waiting time, Legia Warsaw fans started to fire flares and throw them in front of the train. This caused products in the freight train to burn, and the situation led to a massive fire. As the fire spread, authorities had to evacuate 800 passengers from the train.

The police are currently investigating the incident and checking the surveillance footage to find the people responsible.

In more football news, on Thursday, the 14th, the Polish embassy in France issued a warning to Polish football fans in Paris who will attend the France– Israel match the same day. Recently, during a match in the Netherlands, Israeli football fans and pro-Palestinian protesters clashed with each other, resulting in violence and acts of vandalism. The Polish embassy suggested Poles avoid any street gatherings and follow the authorities' instructions.

And to close this edition, on Monday, the 11th, Poland celebrated 106 years of Independence with the annual Independence March and a military parade in Warsaw. The National Independence Day is also a public holiday.

Meanwhile, the photos from Independence Day revealed something about the President. When he laid flowers and kneeled at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Warsaw, people noticed that he didn't have a small part of his middle finger. On Thursday, the 14th, Wojciech Kolarski, the presidential aide, said the president injured himself during household chores.

Follow the link on the show notes to see the attention-grabbing photos of the president.

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

Thanks for sticking around for this episode of the Rorshok Poland update! If you’ve got questions, thoughts, or just want to say hi, reach out at info@rorshok.com. Don’t forget to hit subscribe on your favorite podcast app!

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