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FOR Communications

  • 206 billion PLN will be the real budget deficit at the end of 2023

    206 billion PLN will be the real budget deficit at the end of 2023 | 2022-10-07

    The true budget deficit at the end of 2023 will amount to over 206 billion PLN. The budget debate taking place in Sejm today is based on the draft budget, which does not show the full picture of state’s expenditures and revenues. Long-term employees of the Ministry of Finance (Sławomir Dudek, Ludwik Kotecki, Hanna Majszczyk) show what the budget’s draft for 2023 should really look like.

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  • Instead of freedom of conscience, a muzzle for freedom of speech: latest legislative initiative is a blatant attack on the right to criticize

    Instead of freedom of conscience, a muzzle for freedom of speech: latest legislative initiative is a blatant attack on the right to criticize | 2022-08-12

    The country’s leaders seem to use criminal law in a highly instrumental and disproportionate way, while protecting very broadly defined, selected social groups. By handing over to the public prosecutors’ hands the decision on whether and to what extent, for example, insulting the institution of the church took place, the proposed regulations may in fact lead to the silencing of any publicly expressed criticism. At the same time, critics who justify their statements with religious motivation will be able to express themselves almost freely on any topic.

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  • Supreme Court and RRP. Can we count on funds from the EU Recovery Fund?

    Supreme Court and RRP. Can we count on funds from the EU Recovery Fund? | 2022-07-25

    When presenting the Commission with the recently implemented amendment to the Supreme Court Act, it will be difficult for the government to convince it to pay the first tranche from the Recovery Fund - especially since the Commission's management's first comments indicate that the adopted amendments are insufficient to meet the proposed milestones.

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  • Under the Guise of Openness, Solidarna Polska is Proposing Regulations Native to Russia and Hungary. NGOs as the Target

    Under the Guise of Openness, Solidarna Polska is Proposing Regulations Native to Russia and Hungary. NGOs as the Target | 2022-07-11

    Under the noble slogan of increasing the openness of public life, Solidarna Polska MPs actually want to make information of a private nature public, which is in keeping with the negative climate created by the current government around the non-governmental environment, including those organizations whose goals are not approved by the ruling majority. It is therefore not surprising that the commented proposal is confusingly reminiscent of Russian and Hungarian solutions deemed to violate human rights. The draft law should therefore be assessed unequivocally critically.
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  • Smoke screen: why the presidential bill does not meet the milestones set by the European Commission

    Smoke screen: why the presidential bill does not meet the milestones set by the European Commission | 2022-06-27

    The presidential amendment to the Supreme Court Act not only does not bring Poland closer to reaching the milestones agreed with the European Commission, but also brings doubts as to compliance with the EU standards, among others, in field of independence of the new Chamber of Professional Liability.
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  • Non-European Sanctions Act - a Chilling Threat to Political Decisions

    Non-European Sanctions Act - a Chilling Threat to Political Decisions | 2022-04-29

    The Act on Special Measures to Prevent and Counteract Aggression against Ukraine and to Safeguard National Security [hereinafter: the Sanctions Act] signed by the President was intended as a Polish complement to EU actions and sanctions against Russian oligarchs. However, a closer analysis of the content of the Act leads to the conclusion that it may only constitute a sham, which will ricochet off other entities. The main problem is that the procedure for including new entities on the asset-freezing blacklist is extremely short and threatens to be extremely arbitrary. Also, the rules of possible international cooperation, apart from the type of sanctions applied, have not been specified. An additional issue is also the lack of a realistically effective verification procedure prior to the making an entry onto the list, which in turn is characterized by its immediate enforceability.

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  • There is no justification for freezing WIBOR

    There is no justification for freezing WIBOR | 2022-04-19

    Ideas of a blanket freeze in WIBOR rates for mortgages make no economic sense. At a time when interest rates were at record lows, banks had a fairly prudent lending policy. So it should be presumed that most borrowers are able to pay higher installments. For people who are actually in a difficult financial situation, support instruments like the Borrower Support Fund at Bank Gospodarstwa Krajowego are already in place. However, the fact that some group may not be able to bear the current burden does not mean that support is due to everyone who has taken out a loan in the past several years.

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  • Weakening the economy and state finances undermines national defense

    Weakening the economy and state finances undermines national defense | 2022-03-25

    In the current situation we do not need creative legal changes, but a plan for building military security, which would not affect the stability of public finances and the development of the national economy. The strategy of irresponsibly increasing state spending and the country's debt may end in very high inflation, further increases in interest rates and destabilization of the economy. This would harm both the defense of the country and the economic situation of citizens.

     

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  • Polish government's involvement in humanitarian aid will not unlock the National Recovery Plan (NPR)

    Polish government's involvement in humanitarian aid will not unlock the National Recovery Plan (NPR) | 2022-03-18

    The actual actions of those in power, which contradict public declarations of cooperation, almost point to internal sabotage of funds from the EU Recovery Fund, which in fact could have already reached Poland. The European Commission's refusal to proceed with the Polish NRP should be seen in terms of concern for the financial security of the European Union. Poland - apart from refusing to meet the "rule of law" conditions - also refuses to join, for example, the European Public Prosecutor's Office, whose main task remains to conduct independent investigations into possible fraud in relation to EU finances.

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  • More out-of-control funding - what can go wrong?

    More out-of-control funding - what can go wrong? | 2022-03-14

    In response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the Law and Justice government began work on creating two new funds in the state-owned Bank Gospodarstwa Krajowego to finance "systemic aid" and additional military spending. At the moment, the debt beyond the control of the parliament amounts to PLN 260 billion. According to the government's plans, by the end of this year it will amount to PLN 350 billion, and by 2025 to over PLN 400 billion, i.e. about a quarter of the public debt calculated according to the EU methodology. The constitutionality of such actions raises serious doubts.

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