On 11th November LOT Polish Airlines flight from Warsaw’s Okęcie airport to Los Angeles marked a long-awaited moment. For its passengers included the first Polish citizens able to travel to the United States without visas after Poland joined the visa waiver program on 11th November, fittingly the national independence holiday.
The Great Emmigration of 1830s
Nicholas Richardson and the Great Emmigration of 1830s – after the failure of November uprising
Sign of peace in the Parliament
The MPs of the 9th Polish parliament were sworn in today following the Law and Justice party’s win in last month’s parliamentary elections. During the inaugural session, speeches were given by the Polish president Andrzej Duda and the senior speaker, Antoni Macierewicz. Elżbieta Witek, became the speaker of the lower house, the Sejm, in the absence of other candidates. The parliamentary clubs decided that the Sejm will have 5 deputy speakers.
The first sitting of the parliament of the 9th term of office was opened by the senior speaker, Antoni Macierewicz. The new MPs were in turn welcomed by president Andrzej Duda, who gave a speech already considered by many to be a historical one.
“I’m certain, we can find mutual understanding on any matter, even if there’s a difference of views on it. There is only one Poland and I want you to remember that. I would want you to shake hands at the beginning of this term. I want you to shake hands just like normal people do when they need to have a debate on very important matters, when they sit down and discuss things calmly – to then leave in peace and friendship, despite all the differences and divisions”. – says Andrzej Duda, President of Poland
At the end of the speech, the president made a symbolic gesture, shaking hands with all MPs sitting in the first row. After that, the MPs swore an oath and the speaker of the parliament was chosen. It was once again Elżbieta Witek.
“As the parliament’s speaker, I will do everything I can to support you, whenever you need it”- says Elżbieta Witek, speaker of the Parliament.
Tonight, prime minister Mateusz Morawiecki will give an official notice of dismissal of his government to president Duda. The Polish PM’s new cabinet will probably be sworn in on Thursday, and his expose will come a day later, on Friday, November 15th.
Independence Day in Poland
Poland celebrates one of its most important national holidays today – the anniversary of the country’s regaining independence in 1918, 123 years after the third partition of Poland in 1795. On this 101st anniversary, the Polish president, Andrzej Duda, laid flowers in front of the statues of the so-called fathers of Independence. After that, the Polish head of state and many other government officials attended a solemn Holy Mass offered for the Country.
After being torn apart by three aggressors – Austria, Prussia and Russia in 1795, the Polish nation never gave up the fight for freedom. During more than a century of occupation, Poles continued to organise resistance and cultivate their national culture and traditions, even under the threat of imprisonment and death from their oppressors. Finally, in 1918, the brave Polish legions, led by military and political genius Marshal Józef Piłsudski, succeeded in winning back independence for Poland.
“Entire generations didn’t have such luck as we have today. Especially those young people born after 1989, who can’t remember the times when Poland wasn’t fully free, when we couldn’t even say out loud what we wanted.” – said Andrzej Duda, President od Poland
The Polish president also gave awards to people who have served Poland exceptionally. The Order of the White Eagle was given to, among others, a historian, prof. Andrzej Nowak and prof. Grażyna Świątecka.
ANDRZEJ DUDA, PRESIDENT OF POLAND: “As we saw today, we have many great people who received awards. All of them, are a great part of all walks of Polish life, beginning with science, through theatre, music and all forms of art, ending with the service for the country and fighting for independence”.
The official celebrations ended with government officials laying flowers in front of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, honouring all those who sacrificed their lives for Polish freedom.
Freedom of Speech: publisher Ringer Axel Springer sues Polish Journalist for mentioning Nazi past of the company's founders
The court case by Ringier Axel Springer against journalist Witold Gadowski has had its third hearing. The German-Swiss group is demanding an apology from Gadowski for statements in which the journalist spoke about the connections between Springer and its founder and Hitler’s regime during the Third Reich. According to Gadowski, the whole issue is about limiting freedom of speech in Poland.
Witold Gadowski was accused by the company Ringier Axel Springer Polska of violating personal rights, which occurred in one of the journalist’s columns, in which he described the associations of the Axel Springer concern and its founder with the Nazi Third Reich. The publisher of Fact and Newsweek, among others, demands an apology and payment of damages of PLN 50,000 from the journalist. The court has not yet set a date for the next hearing in this case.
The third hearing in the District Court in Warsaw saw a large group of people appear to support Witold Gadowski appeared, but the witness, for Ringier Axel Springer Polska did not appear at the hearing because of a canceled flight to Warsaw. In the absence of the witness, the judge adjourned the proceedings, giving both parties time to reach a settlement, in the light of which neither party would have to withdraw from its position.
JACEK TYSZKA, JUDGE OF THE WARSAW DISTRICT COURT: – “In fact, in this matter, it appears the facts are basically known to you. Now it is just a matter of how these facts can be interpreted, and what can be said and what cannot be said against these facts. In the opinion of the court, in such cases it is best for readers to judge, and not for the court, to outline the issues of freedom of speech.”
Witold Gadowski made a statement in which he emphasized that he would not give up on stating historical truth. The journalist said that he saw no reason to apologize to the Polish branch of the German-Swiss concert Ringier Axel Springer, because his words were not addressed to it.
WITOLD GADOWSKI, JOURNALIST WITNESS, : -“Historical truth is not subject to change, the conclusions of historical truth are that German murderers committed crimes in Poland – you cannot remain silent, you have to talk about them. The Axel Springer concern employed former Nazis, Axel Springer was active in journalism during the Third Reich. This whole thing is unnecessary, it only serves to close mouths and repress freedom of speech. If Ringier Axel Springer doesn’t learn that there is freedom in Poland, then it will last. This is a completely unnecessary matter, because I will not change my mind at all, there is no such possibility, even if I am convicted. But I don’t think I will be convicted, because the judge speaks wisely.”
Election in Poland: 56 votes recounts claimed!
The Polish Supreme Court has received 56 recount requests, the deadline for the lodging of which was midnight Tuesday, October 22. The governing Law and Justice party has demanded a recount in 6 districts, two of which were Senate districts. The largest opposition party, Civic Platform, filed two requests. As a result of the elections, Law and Justice lost its majority in the upper chamber. In one district the opposition candidate won by some 300 votes with thousands of votes having been declared invalid. Opposition leader Grzegorz Schetyna hopes that opposing the recounts will stop the Supreme Court from ordering them and save his job, since following the opposition’s electoral loss, many are calling for his head. From the Sejm, Aleksandra Zarzycka reports.
The Law and Justice party have filed 6 motions to the Supreme Court, asking for a recount of the votes to the Senate, where the ruling party lost its majority by a small margin. According to opposition politicians, the ruling party wants to undermine the outcome of the elections, while the Law and Justice politicians point out, that the Civic Platform itself filed three electoral protests. The leader of the Civic Platform, Grzegorz Schetyna stated yesterday that the work of the judges of the Supreme Court should be overseen by international observers. Today, the spokesman of the Supreme Court described the legal motions filed by the Law and Justice as lacking in concrete arguments, at the same time criticising Schetyna’s idea of the need for international control.
GRZEGORZ SCHETYNA, LEADER OF THE CIVIC PLATFORM: – “They asked about the next steps in the electoral process, which because of Law and Justice hasn’t yet ended. They asked what are the consequences of such actions and if democracy and the rule of law in Poland are threatened.”
KRZYSZTOF SOBOLEWSKI, HEAD OF THE LAW AND JUSTICE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE: – ” Once again, they seek foreign help, nothing has changed. Four years have passed, and we’re having deja vu – the opposition lost the parliamentary elections, so they’re seeking aid from abroad. It looks like they haven’t learned anything during these four years. “
Lending criteria tightened by Polish banks
In the third quarter of 2019, banks have tightened lending criteria for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), as well as regarding consumer and housing loans, the report published on Monday by the National Bank of Poland (NBP) stated.
For the framework of the report, the NBP did a survey among 24 banks in Poland, which indicated they would tighten some of the criteria and conditions of lending for SMEs, without any significant changes in the policy regarding big companies or in the demand for credit.
Banks have slightly increased the loan margin and the required credit collateral. The banks which tightened their credit policies explained their decision by citing the possibility of a worsening of the current or the expected situation of: the bank, the biggest borrowers and the entire economy. They also indicated such factors as the increase of the risk in the given sector and the increase in the proportion of non-performing loans in their portfolio.
For the last quarter of 2019 a further tightening of loan policy for SMEs and no momentous changes in credit demand are expected.
Housing loans demand may drop
Demand for housing loans grew even although the criteria were tightened. In the opinion of those polled, the increase in that demand might have been caused by the buoyant forecast for the housing market, the improvement in household wealth and several other factors, for example, the better state of the country’s economy.
The tougher lending policies will be continued in the fourth quarter of 2019, although the demand for housing loans will likely drop, according to the NBP. However, the NBP points out that predictions regarding demand for housing credit have relatively low accuracy.
In terms of consumer loans for households, banks tightened their criteria, and, slightly, the conditions for granting them. The decision was motivated, most notably, by the increase in the share of non-performing loans in consumer credit, an increased risk related to housing deposits, and the worsening of the bank’s current and predicted capital situation.
As the NBP noted, no bank was able to explain why they decided to ease their credit policy.
In the fourth quarter of this year, banks predict even higher increases, tightening their credit policies, and the further growth in demand for consumer loans.
The NBP stressed in its report that the criteria for granting loans are understood as the minimum creditworthiness standards set by the bank that the borrower must meet to be granted a loan. On the other hand, the conditions for granting loans are the features of a loan agreement agreed between the bank and the borrower, including the interest margin, non-interest loan costs, the maximum loan amount, the required collateral and the maximum loan period.
Seper fidelis prize for preservation of Polish heritage
The Institute of National Remembrance handed the “Semper Fidelis” awards for the first time to people and institutions, which particularly helped to preserve the Polish heritage in the Borderlands. The Borderlands are eastern parts of Poland which were taken away by the Soviet Union following the Yalta conference in 1945. Among those awarded were priest Roman Dzwonkowski, sociologist and professor of social sciences; the president of the Association of Home Army soldiers in Belarus, Col. Weronika Sebastianowicz; and the Commander of the Polish Scouts in Ukraine and Lithuania, Stefan Adamski.
DR JAROSŁAW SZAREK, PRESIDENT OF THE INSTITUTE OF NATIONAL REMEMBRANCE: – “How much of the Borderlands is within us? How many little stories, which we learn about if not by family, than by touching on the culture of these lands. We’re not doing this to oppose anyone else but we want these traditions preserved and this culture to be accessible to those who currently live there.”
COL. WERONIKA SEBASTIANOWICZ, PRESIDENT OF THE ASSOCIATION OF HOME ARMY SOLDIERS IN BELARUS: -“We fought in different times, but we all fought for Poland. I’m very happy that I was given this award, because when I was in prison or sent to Siberia, I never thought I would make it out of there alive. I would never dream of coming back home, to Poland, not to mention receiving an award like this.”
Ceasefire in Syria
After talks with the Turkish President Recep Erdogan, the US Vice President Mike Pence, announced that Ankara has agreed to a ceasefire in Syria and that the US sanctions imposed on the country will be lifted. Pence said that Turkey will suspend all military operations for 120 hours in order to allow the Kurdish militants to leave the border belt in northeastern Syria. Kurdish representatives confirmed that they approve of the ceasefire, but they will defend themselves if they are attacked.
As part of the truce, Turkey is expected to suspend all military operations to allow Kurdish warriors to withdraw from the border zone in northeastern Syria. After this condition is met, a permanent ceasefire is to be made. As part of the agreement, it was also decided that Turkish troops would be able to remain in their positions, where they would create a safe zone under Turkey’s jurisdiction. Mike Pence also threatened that if Turkey does not respect the truce conditions, the United States will not withdraw its current sanctions and will implement further ones. Ankara expressed satisfaction with the truce conditions, as it would in fact not bear any consequences for the invasion of northeastern Syria. The truce was also approved by Kurdish militants affiliated with the Syrian Democratic Forces who announced they would abide by it. However, as the Kurd commander added, the agreement is limited only to border areas, between the towns of Ras al-Ain and Tel Abiad. He also expressed hope that this would prevent Turkey from achieving its offensive goals. However, this morning the first reports appeared about breaking the truce conditions. There was a gunfight around Ras al-Ain. Witnesses also report that smoke has appeared above the city. Until now, it is not known who committed this act.
EU approved brexit terms
The European Council has approved an agreement for the United Kingdom’s exit from the European Union, which was concluded yesterday by EU and British negotiators. Although, there is no agreement on the draft of the new EU budget presented by Finland. Poland and several other countries are demanding increased funds.
The two-day summit of the European Union held in Brussels was concluded with a long-awaited agreement between the European Union and the United Kingdom regarding Brexit. Although, everything depends on tomorrow’s session of the British Parliament. If the House of Commons accepts the agreement, it will require a final acceptance of the European Parliament. The second important topic of the summit was the European Union’s budget. Finland’s proposal regarding this matter was quite controversial. According to the proposal, the EU’s budget was to be reduced by 85 billion Euro. The member states, including Poland, don’t agree to this idea. The Prime Minister of Poland, Mateusz Morawiecki, said that he hopes that the EU’s funds dedicated to the agricultural policies won’t be reduced, because it wouldn’t be beneficial for Poland.
MATEUSZ MORAWIECKI, PRIME MINISTER OF POLAND: “We could talk about Europeanness, but what is it? When it comes to the strategic dimension, it is an expansion of impacts. Closing the door to all of the smaller, but important countries would be wrong. The countries that want to reduce the budget are deeply inconsistent in their messages. Poland believes that the budget should increase.”
Everything indicates that Finland’s decision is not going to be accepted. The European Commission wants the budget to be higher than in Finland’s proposal.