FOR Communications

On 19 November, the parliamentary majority (KP [Polish Coalition], PiS [Law and Justice], and Kukiz'15 deputies), in response to Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki's announcement expressed the day before, adopted a resolution "supporting the activities of the Council of Ministers in the budget negotiations of the European Union"

Thanks to the European Union, Polish companies can operate not only on the domestic market, where 38 million Poles produce 1% of the world's GDP, but on the European market, where 528 million Europeans produce 22% of the world's GDP (for comparison, the United States produces 24% of the world's GDP, and China 16%). A larger market allows for a wider range of specialization, and thus leads to an increase in productivity, on which workers' wages and living standards directly depend. 

On March 30th, 2020, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán acquired for his government unlimited power of ruling by means of decrees. The Hungarian government’s newly established right to govern by decrees – unlimited in time – is in no need of consultations with the opposition nor any other form of parliamentary debate. Such debates would have to take place if the government limited itself to introducing the state of danger enshrined in the constitution and followed the original, constitutional framework.

The coronavirus is a deadly danger for many people, but a large proportion of those infected do not experience any symptoms. Available mortality data show that the disease represents the greatest risk for the elderly and those suffering from other diseases.

At present, the most important challenge is to maintain jobs and support people who cannot work in Poland due to the coronavirus and actions aimed at reducing the scale of the epidemic. On the one hand, this requires the support of companies that pay their employees but, deprived of income, are themselves at risk of bankruptcy. On the other hand, it requires support for people who have worked in unusual forms of employment and have lost their jobs overnight.

On the night of 27 to 28 March, the Law and Justice party deputies added an amendment to the law on aid for entrepreneurs and employees during the coronavirus epidemic, amending the Electoral Code. The amendment allows persons over 60 years of age and those in quarantine, isolation and home isolation to exercise voting by correspondence.

The coronavirus pandemic is already having a huge negative impact on the economy. Its mitigation should serve two purposes: to support people who are losing income because they can't work as a result of the pandemic and to prevent the bankruptcy of companies that cannot operate due to the pandemic so that their employees can return to work after it is over.

Government action should be primarily aimed at making it easier for companies to survive the epidemic and maintain employment. The scale of the intervention should depend on the duration of the epidemic - the emphasis should first be on deferring taxes and contributions, then on guarantees and loans, and only at the end on writing off part of the liabilities.

The General Assembly of Supreme Court Judges will be held on 31 March 2020. The judges will then probably select five candidates for the new First President of the Supreme Court. From this group, the President of the Republic of Poland will eventually appoint the new First President of the Supreme Court. Initially, the General Assembly was to be held on 17 March and was postponed due to the epidemiological outbreak.

The Law and Justice government wasted the 5 years of prosperity, as a result of which the Polish public finances and the health care system are not prepared for the coronavirus epidemic. A "Balanced budget" is an accounting trick, serving the government's propaganda - in fact, the planned deficit of the public finance sector, after deducting one-off revenues, was to reach 2.2% of GDP in 2020 (over PLN 50 billion), which is just under 2.6% of GDP recorded in 2015. At the same time 13 EU countries were planning to achieve surpluses. Additionally, no major reform to increase the efficiency of the health service has been carried out, focusing primarily on increasing social transfers.