POLAND: PERN-NATO Deal & more – 9th Oct 2025

Witam from BA! This is the Rorshok Poland Update from the 9th of October twenty twenty-five. A quick summary of what's going down in Poland.

Let’s kick off with new defense strategies. On Friday, the 3rd, the Pipeline Operation Company, Poland’s state-owned oil and fuel logistics company, and NATO’s Infrastructure Investment Agency signed a deal in Warsaw to upgrade Poland’s fuel network and connect it to NATO pipelines.

The agreement outlines how the two companies will collaborate in the project’s early phase, including building fuel storage for the military.

Officials said the new setup will keep fuel flowing during potential military conflicts with other countries and give Poland more backup supply routes, making the country stronger and more resilient.

The project will boost NATO’s operations, raise Poland’s strategic importance, and strengthen energy security and military readiness.

Still on defense, on Tuesday, the 7th, Prime Minister Donald Tusk met with Inga Ruginienė, his Lithuanian counterpart, in Warsaw to talk about security, defense, and regional issues. Both leaders said Poland and Lithuania need to work closely through NATO and directly with each other to deal with any provocations or threats from Russia.

Tusk said both governments fully support Ukraine and underscored the Rail Baltica project, which will improve transport links and boost regional security. He also said both countries are cooperating to stop illegal migration pushed by Belarus and Russia. Ruginienė called Poland a strategic partner, proposing regular government meetings.

They also talked about the Polish minority in Lithuania, and Tusk said he was sure that both countries could resolve any problems, like school access, cultural programs, or local representation, without any issues.

Next up, on Friday the 3rd, the Cyber24 Day conference kicked off in the capital, where government officials, military leaders, scientists, and tech experts discussed cybersecurity, digitization, and new technologies.

Cezary Tomczyk, the Deputy Defense Minister, praised civilian experts for providing technical, strategic, and cybersecurity support like drone detection and operational tactics that recently helped the military respond to recent Russian drone incursions, and said it plans to adopt some of their ideas.

Karol Molenda, the head of Poland’s new Cyberspace Defense Force, said the military is forming the unit to handle digital defense and it is already testing AI systems for rollout next year. Officials also confirmed that the national budget will fund long-term cybersecurity positions.

Tomasz Siemoniak, the Coordinator of Special Services, warned that hostile actors now use disinformation as a weapon to undermine trust in Poland, NATO, the EU, the US, and public support for Ukraine.

Switching gears to internal policies, on Saturday, the 4th, Waldemar Żurek, the Justice Minister, said the government plans to roll out a rule-of-law bill and new rules for the National Council of the Judiciary as soon as next week.

Judges who reach retirement age would be able to stay in service longer if a doctor certifies they’re fit, and judges who have already retired would be able to return to hearing cases and making rulings legally.

The government also plans to take in more students at the National School of Judiciary and Public Prosecution.

Żurek said that the reforms are necessary because the judges that the previous Law and Justice government controversially appointed and whose independence is criticized, still serve in the Supreme and Administrative Courts, which keeps Poland getting fined by EU courts. Recall that the EU demands judges to be independent from the government and since Poland hasn’t completely reformed its justice system to be more independent, the country keeps paying compensation to the EU.

More on new policies, as on Wednesday, the 8th, President Nawrocki signed a law giving uniformed officers extra help with housing and travel costs.

Officers will get up to 1,800 złoty, around 500 dollars a month for housing and up to 200 złoty, almost sixty dollars, for commuting if they live outside their work town.

The law covers the police, the Border Guard, the fire service, state protection, and intelligence agencies.

Officers can now choose their housing support, whether it’s an apartment, temporary lodging, dormitory space, or cash, as long as neither they nor their spouse already own a home.

Officials say the law will help officers, make joining and staying in service more appealing, and ease staff shortages.

Also, on Wednesday, the 8th, staff, participants, and families from occupational therapy workshops or OTWs protested in front of the lower house of the parliament or Sejm, calling for more funding and better support.

They said the current budget isn’t enough, especially for hiring qualified staff. Polska twenty fifty Party wants to replace Łukasz Krasoń, the government’s disability representative, saying he hasn’t fully met the needs of the community.

Krasoń said he’s ready to increase workshop funding and is working on new rules to improve its operations, including clearer programs, participant assessments, and opportunities for internships.

The OTW community is also pushing for stable funding, gradual increases in payments up to the minimum wage by twenty twenty-eight, annual adjustments from twenty twenty-nine, recognition of their work as hazardous, extra vacation days, and smoother transitions for participants between different support programs.

On Thursday, the 2nd, Rafał Trzaskowski, Warsaw’s Mayor, announced that as of November, the city will limit nighttime alcohol sales in the districts of Śródmieście and Praga-Północ, and plans to roll it out across all of the capital by the 1st of June, twenty twenty-six.

The regulation will ban alcohol sales in shops and gas stations from 10 PM to 6 AM, but not in bars, restaurants, and other food spots. Trzaskowski said this is part of a bigger push to make the capital safer.

The city is working with police in the Warsaw Safe Night Program to map problem areas and enforce the rules, and it’s running the Responsible Seller program to train staff on handling aggressive customers and refusing alcohol to minors or drunk people.

Speaking of alcohol, on Monday, the 6th, the Razem party said it will send a letter to Szymon Hołownia, the Sejm Marshal, asking him to ban alcohol in the Sejm restaurant and parliamentary hotel. The move comes after reports of fights and drinking in the parliamentary hotel, which Stefan Krajewski, the Agriculture Minister, blamed on first-term MPs.

Because of these incidents, he decided to move out of the hotel after living there for six years. Mateusz Merta, Razem’s spokesperson, said they want Hołownia to close the establishments before his term ends on the 13th of November, twenty twenty-five.

Hołownia said the Sejm won’t allow bad behavior but pointed out that the parliamentary hotel isn’t a boarding school,

Meanwhile, on Friday, the 3rd, Adam Bodnar, the Commissioner for Human Rights, said on social media that investigators are working to bring those responsible for the Cinkciarz app fraud to justice.

The scam hit nearly 7,000 people. The company stole or misused the victims’ funds, leaving clients at a loss. Poland’s financial watchdog revoked the app license in October twenty twenty-four after finding serious mismanagement of funds.

Police recently arrested the company’s former chief accountant and placed her in pre-trial detention. Prosecutors charged her with helping defraud clients of over 112 million złoty, around 30 million dollars. She admitted the charges and gave detailed statements. The crimes of everyone involved could send them to prison for up to twenty-five years.

On that note about illegal activities, on Wednesday, the 7th, Poland’s Cyberspace Defense Forces or WOC warned about a new wave of WhatsApp scams.

Hackers are stealing accounts by sending fake voting messages. After that, they pretend to be the account owner and try to fool the person’s friends into giving them information or money.

WOC advised people not to click suspicious links or share any verification codes. They also suggested checking the Linked devices section in WhatsApp to make sure only your devices are connected.

WOC added that similar scams can also appear on apps like Signal or Messenger, so users should be extra careful with sudden or urgent messages asking for help or votes.

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

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