POLAND: WWII Reparations & more – 4th Dec 2025

Witam from BA! This is the Rorshok Poland Update from the 4th of December twenty twenty-five. A quick summary of what's going down in Poland.

Let’s kick off this episode with foreign affairs. On Monday, the 1st, Prime Minister Donald Tusk and Friedrich Merz, the German Chancellor, met in Warsaw to discuss WWII reparations.

Polish officials and historians say Germany should compensate surviving Polish victims of WWII, but if it doesn’t, Poland may have to start making small payments itself and ask Germany to pay them back later.

Tusk said the nineteen fifty-three decision by Poland’s communist government to give up reparations was unfair and left survivors without support.

Merz said Germany thinks the reparations issue is already settled, but added that it still wants to discuss other options and respect history.

Tusk said about 50,000–60,000 survivors are still alive and pushed for quick action.

Since we mentioned communism, on Wednesday, the 3rd, the Constitutional Tribunal removed the Communist Party of Poland from the official register, saying it violates the constitution.

Krystyna Pawłowicz, a judge on the Constitutional Tribunal, said that Poland shouldn’t allow a group that praises communist regimes. The case began when Zbigniew Ziobro, a former Justice Minister, filed the first request, and later President Nawrocki submitted his own motion. Dariusz Dudek, the president’s representative, asked the judges to end the party’s activity completely.

Beata Karoń, the party’s leader, defended her group, saying that if their ideas don’t appeal to people, voters will simply ignore them.

On Tuesday, the 2nd, Polish prosecutors charged twenty-eight-year-old Russian Michail Mirgorodski with running a secret spy and sabotage network in Poland for Moscow. He’s currently outside the country and is wanted with a Polish arrest warrant and an Interpol red notice.

He led a group of more than thirty people since twenty twenty-three, using encrypted apps like Telegram to spy on military sites, tamper with critical infrastructure, and spread pro-Russian, anti-Ukrainian, and anti-NATO propaganda.

Police have arrested sixteen people connected to the network, mostly Ukrainians and Belarusians, while eight more suspects are still under investigation.

In more crime news, on Monday, the 1st, the Warsaw-Praga District Court in Warsaw kicked off the big Wołomin Credit Union or SKOK trial, with over sixty people facing charges.

The prosecutors accuse former SKOK board members and other individuals of running a criminal scheme from two thousand six to twenty fourteen.

They faked documents, created fraudulent loans, recruited people to take out loans, and moved money through fake accounts to hide the real beneficiaries. They also rolled loans, using new fraudulent loans to pay off old ones and trick regulators.

One part of the trial will focus on Piotr Polaszczyk, a former intelligence officer and SKOK official. Polaszczyk denies any wrongdoing and says he wants to clear his name.

He is also facing other cases, including laundering over 350 million złoty, about ninety-five million dollars, and a twenty fourteen assault on a Financial Supervision Authority official, for which he was sentenced to eight years despite his appeal.

On Wednesday, the 3rd, President Karol Nawrocki joined the Visegrad Group summit in Hungary, focusing on energy independence, regional security, and reducing Russian influence.

He said Poland should become a regional gas hub and is already talking with the US about supplies. Nawrocki added that the EU should have a strong US and NATO presence to keep it safe.

The leaders from Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia agreed to work together on energy projects, improve infrastructure, boost the regional economy, and limit Russian influence.

They also talked about supporting humanitarian and development projects in the Balkans and for Christian communities worldwide.

Speaking of President Nawrocki, on Monday, the 1st, he vetoed a new cryptocurrency law from the Sejm, the lower house of parliament.

The bill would have let the government shut down crypto websites with just one click, which Nawrocki said could put people’s freedoms, property, and national stability at risk.

Adam Szłapka, the Government Spokesperson, warned that the veto could make it easier for scammers and money launderers to operate in Poland. Meanwhile, Sławomir Mentzen, the leader of the Confederation Party, called it a big win for the crypto sector.

On Tuesday, the 2nd, the President vetoed the law that banned keeping dogs on chains and sent his own animal-protection project to the Sejm.

The president’s new plan bans keeping all pets tied up, except for walks, transport, vet visits, training, or brief tie-ups, replacing the old strict kennel rules on size, daylight, and extra space per dog.

Also on Tuesday, Barbara Nowacka, the Education Minister, said Poland wants to keep small-town schools open even though they expect the number of kids to fall by up to thirty percent by twenty sixty.

The government will let these schools run community activities alongside regular classes. They can use empty classrooms for daycare, senior programs, cultural events, or health initiatives.

They can also serve as libraries, nurseries, or meeting places for local groups. Officials will combine classes, expand after-school care, and offer healthier meals, while requiring parental and community approval before closing any school.

The Cabinet approved the plan, but parliament still has to give it the green light.

Next up, on Monday, the 1st, Poland’s Office of Competition and Consumer Protection fined Jeronimo Martins Polska, the company that owns Biedronka, nearly 105 million złoty, about twenty-eight million dollars.

The fine relates to two promotions, Special Wednesday and Valentine’s Wednesday, where the store promised 100 percent back on a voucher. However, the conditions were complicated, and customers only learned about limits and rules after making their purchases. For instance, buying one product could give a voucher for a different product, with additional spending requirements.

The Office of Consumer Protection said the promotions misled customers by hiding important details in fine print or online, and many consumers complained on social media.

Biedronka plans to appeal the decision in court, saying that it offers good deals to its customers.

In health updates, on Tuesday, the 2nd, the Podkarpackie sanitary and epidemiological station reported twenty-six confirmed measles cases.

The cases were reported mainly in southern Poland, in Rzeszów city, and Ropczyce-Sędziszów and Tarnobrzeg counties.

Measles spreads easily from person to person through droplets or direct contact. Symptoms start with the flu, cough, and runny nose, followed by a red rash, red eyes, and sensitivity to light.

Health authorities said the best protection is vaccination and urged adults who aren’t sure if they’ve been vaccinated or had measles to get the shot.

They also advised everyone to wear masks, wash hands often, and avoid large crowds.

Following that, on Wednesday, the 3rd, Marta Reduta-Pieczywek, a member of We for Others Association, a Polish NGO supporting people with disabilities, published an essay on NGO.pl.

She said that women with disabilities are often overlooked because society measures femininity by looks, abilities, and productivity.

The media usually shows them in a pitying way or as inspirational heroes, rather than just women living their lives.

Reduta-Pieczywek emphasized that femininity comes in many forms—some women are delicate, some strong, some wear makeup, some don’t. Society should broaden its idea of what it means to be a woman to include all bodies, experiences, and ways of being.

Meanwhile, on Tuesday, the 2nd, Tusk announced that Poland and the European Space Agency or ESA signed a letter of intent to set up an ESA center in Poland.

The center will focus on using space technology for security and will work closely with research institutions across the country.

Tusk said the center could give a big boost to Poland’s space sector.

Local experts point to the Upper Silesian Metropolitan Area in southern Poland as the ideal location because the region already has space companies, research hubs, and AI projects.

Finally, the holiday season’s kicking off and on Saturday, the 6th, Poland will celebrate Mikołajki, a traditional holiday honoring Saint Nicholas, a 4th-century bishop famous for his generosity and care for children.

On this day, kids often wake up to little presents like sweets or small toys placed by their beds or under their pillows.

Adults also use the occasion to give extra, informal gifts that aren’t normally part of the bigger, more formal gift-giving that happens on Christmas Eve.

Many schools organize fun activities, including Secret Santa exchanges and small games to bring everyone together.

The main idea is to give thoughtful, simple gifts and enjoy the spirit of giving.

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

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