Over the past two years, Poland has fallen into enormous financial trouble. If Donald Tusk continues on his current path and the rate of debt growth does not slow down, we will reach the constitutional debt threshold of 60% of GDP. This will result in a collapse across every sphere of public life in Poland, affecting every area of expenditure, from the military and security services to education and healthcare. We will become a country entirely dependent on others, warns Andrzej Kosztowniak, PiS MP and former Minister of Finance, in an interview with the portal Niezależna.pl.
Today marks exactly two years since the parliamentary elections that gave Donald Tusk a real opportunity to return to government. Although his party did not achieve the highest result, losing to Law and Justice, the formation of a coalition composed of several political groups allowed him to once again head the government after years of absence. How do Poles view Tusk’s premiership after this time? Not very optimistically.
In the latest poll conducted by United Surveys for Wirtualna Polska, Poles were asked one simple question: “Do you think there should be a change in the position of Prime Minister?” More than half – 50.9% – of Poles said that the office of the Prime Minister should be held by someone else.
Meanwhile, when asked whether life in Poland since October 15, 2023, has become better or worse, 45.2% of respondents said that life has become worse than before that date. Only 19.6% said the opposite.
Another poll, commissioned by Super Express and conducted by the Pollster Research Institute, confirms the declining support for the “December 13 coalition.” Today, only 65% of those who voted for coalition parties in 2023 would certainly do so again. 22% of the coalition’s voters have changed their minds, and 13% are undecided.
On the second anniversary of the parliamentary elections, the ruling camp released a special promotional video claiming that the situation in Poland is very good. “Wages are rising, and people are simply living better,” says the narrator.
In another recording, the government claims it has “been developing the Polish economy for two years.” “Accelerated construction of the Central Communication Port (CPK), development of Polish railways, and the highest real wage growth in the 21st century,” the narrator proclaims.
“A grim outlook for Poland”
“If Donald Tusk truly believes in the message of the video he released, it means he lives in an alternate reality. Although personally, I believe the Prime Minister is simply so cynical that he knows perfectly well that the situation is entirely different from what he describes. The truth lies in the numbers, and those are merciless to this government,” says Andrzej Kosztowniak, PiS MP and former Finance Minister, in his interview with Niezależna.pl.
“We have seen a massive increase in the budget deficit and, consequently, in public debt. There are also significant problems with balancing this year’s budget. On the revenue side, we will collect less than expected. Poles are increasingly burdened by rising prices. Everyone can see that the price increases of basic goods are not in the range of a few percent, but rather a dozen or even several dozen percent. State-owned companies are underperforming, and tens of billions of złoty have stopped flowing into the budget. What’s happening with Polish agriculture, and what Tusk allows, is the destruction of its profitability, while simultaneously accepting the terms of Mercosur. This will lead not only to the collapse of agriculture itself but also to many industries connected to it. It will affect millions of people. These are the main failures of Tusk’s government,” the former minister points out.
“Agriculture is a strategic sector of our life, not only in terms of food supply but also as a massive driving force of the Polish economy, which has been growing for years. The increase in profitability and productivity in Polish agriculture was very noticeable. The real value of Polish exports was rising. Today’s alarming changes, however, seem to pose no problem for Tusk,” he adds.
“Another area is energy. Tusk promised it would be cheaper. Reality shows it is more expensive. Polish education is in complete disarray. The healthcare system is collapsing due to a shortage of tens of billions of złoty this year and next. Added to this is the overall chaos in the Ministry of Justice, ranging from the courts and prosecutors to the disregard for fundamental rights,” continues Kosztowniak.
“I increasingly get the impression that Tusk is having a great time mocking Poles and the way we perceive reality,” says the former minister.
“If things are as good as the government and Tusk claim, then why is he one of the lowest-rated prime ministers? His cabinet receives equally negative opinions. This bears no resemblance to the reality presented by the Prime Minister. His self-satisfaction is completely incomprehensible,” adds Kosztowniak.
“Over the last two years, Poland has fallen into enormous financial problems. If Donald Tusk continues on his chosen path and the rate of debt growth does not decrease, we will reach the constitutional debt ceiling of 60% of GDP. This will end in a collapse of every public sector in Poland, affecting all areas of expenditure, from the military and security services to education and healthcare. The collapse will affect every public sphere,” warns the former Finance Minister.
“Furthermore, if Tusk implements the Migration Pact along with Mercosur, this will lead to many Poles losing their livelihoods. Unemployment will rise, and security will decline, the very thing that is currently highly valued in Poland. Poland is perceived abroad as a very safe country. That could change,” he adds.
“All the efforts of recent years could be wasted. We will become a country dependent on external markets. We may become a completely different country in cultural and social terms, and in the end, we will become dependent primarily on Germany. That is a very grim outlook,” concludes Andrzej Kosztowniak.