An MEP for Poland’s ruling, conservative Law and Justice has said the party will back former Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk for a second term as President of the European Council.

In an article for the Rzeczpospolita daily, MEP Ryszard Czarnecki wrote that Law and Justice will stick to its principle whereby Polish politicians support Polish candidates for international bodies, irrespective of their political leaning.

Poland to boycott V-Day Parade in Moscow

Czarnecki recalled that earlier this year MEPs from the opposition Civic Platform (PO) violated this unwritten principle by voting against conservative MEP Janusz Wojciechowski as a candidate for a member of the European Court of Auditors. PiS leader Jarosław Kaczyński, wrote Czarnecki, “is not interested in any sort of tit-for-tat dealings” and will support a second term for Tusk as European Council President.

A survey by Poland’s Public Opinion Research Centre (CBOS) indicates that the vast majority of Poles are against a complete ban on abortion.  The poll comes as legislation is expected to come before Poland’s lower house of parliament, potentially outlawing abortion. Some 84 percent of respondents in the CBOS poll declared that abortion should be permitted if a woman’s life is endangered by a pregnancy. Meanwhile, 76 percent likewise said that the procedure should be allowed if the mother’s health is at risk, and 74 percent said abortion should be allowed if the woman has been raped.

Scurrilous article in “The Sun” slandering Poles. Struggle for Brexit?

Since 1993, Poland has had among the most stringent abortion laws in Europe. The procedure is only permitted if a woman’s life or health are jeopardised by the continuation of a pregnancy, if the pregnancy is a result of a criminal act such as rape or incest, or if the foetus is seriously malformed. The abortion must be carried out within the first 25 weeks of the pregnancy.

Citizens’ bill

NGO the PRO Foundation (Fundacja Pro) has gathered the necessary 100,000 signatures for a so-called citizen’s bill, under the slogan 'Stop Abortion’. The action was supported by the Roman Catholic Church in an open letter to MPs and Senators by the Episcopate. Prime Minister Beata Szydło of the Law and Justice party has said she is in favour of a complete ban.

Polish girl from Gloucester receives coursebook with map of Europe without Poland

Protests took place across Poland following the prime minister’s statement, and there have also been pro-life marches. The survey was carried out on a random selection of 1104 Polish adults, between 31 March and 7 April 2016.

Polish parents lagging behind with child maintenance owe a total of PLN 9.7 billion (EUR 2.19 bn, USD 2.5 bn) in missed payments to their children, according to the National Debt Register (KRD).

More than 300,000 such parents have had their names entered onto the National Debt Register. Their average debt is more than PLN 32,000. „For a parent defaulting on maintenance payments, being listed in the National Debt Register means major consequences,” said Adam Łącki, chairman of the board of the National Debt Register. “Debtors can find they are refused loans, installment purchases or subscription to a phone plan. The only victim here, however, is the child. Parents who do not pay maintenance for their offspring are simply stealing from them.”

Polish girl from Gloucester receives coursebook with map of Europe without Poland

The EU’s asylum system has been under severe pressure in the wake of rising numbers of migrants.

Only last year, over a million refugees came to the continent. On Wednesday, the European Commission presented proposals to reform the Common European Asylum System, which immediately sparked criticism among governments in Eastern and Central Europe.

Polish President signs in new bills

As Agnieszka Łaszczuk reports also Polish politicians, both conservatives and liberals, condemned the new plan.
Internal Affairs Minister Mariusz Błaszczak called the proposals “unacceptable”, and opposition politician Jan Grabiec of Civic Platform said they were “against the interest of Poland and of the European Union”.

Defence Minister Antoni Macierewicz has said that a Polish delegation will not take part in Monday’s Victory Day celebrations in Moscow.

“All events marking the 71st Victory Day will take place in Poland,” the Polish defence ministry told Gazeta Polska Codziennie. The paper reported that the governments of the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Lithuania have decided to follow suit.

The daily also quoted Russian presidential aide Yury Ushakov, who told the Russian news agency TASS earlier this week that Moscow is not putting too much emphasis of the presence of many foreign delegations during this year’s V-Day celebrations, as this is not what he called “a round anniversary”.

Polish President signs in new bills

“The Victory Day Parade will go on regardless of the presence of foreign dignitaries,” Ushakov said. The Victory Day Parade in Moscow’s Red Square is the biggest parade showcasing Russia’s military forces. It commemorates the defeat of Nazi Germany in 1945 through a series of parades that occur simultaneously in over 20 major Russian cities.

Polish President Andrzej Duda on Wedensday signed five new bills, relating to free medicines to Poles over the age of 75, and counter-terrorism measures, among others.

A pledge to provide free medicines to pensioners over the age of 75 was part of Duda’s electoral campaign and that of the Law and Justice (PiS) party which won the October 2015 general elections. “According to the Act on healthcare services financed from public funds, people over the age of 75 will be entitled to free medicines, foodstuffs intended for particular nutritional needs, and medical devices, which will be included in a list announced by the health minister,” the presidential chancellery said in a statement. The first such list will be announced by the health ministry by 1 September. “This means that from September, pensioners will be able to benefit from free medicines included on the list,” the presidential chancellery said.

Scurrilous article in “The Sun” slandering Poles. Struggle for Brexit?

Another bill signed by the president included a new law to limit access to bomb-making chemicals which could be used in a terrorist attack. The other three bills signed by Duda on Wednesday related to teachers, the rights of the Ombudsman, and one extending the current teaching model at the National School of Judiciary and Public Prosecution.

Pupils across Poland began their end-of-school 'Matura’ exams on Wednesday morning, and the results will be crucial in securing a place at university.

The first subject on Wednesday was Polish Literature, with examinees starting at 9.00 am sharp. Among other tasks, pupils had to tackle two nineteenth century classics, 'The Doll’ by Bołesław Prus (who has been dubbed 'the Polish Dickens’) and 'Forefathers’ Eve’ by Romantic bard Adam Mickiewicz. Tweets have already appeared online from those taking the test. “If only Maths could be as easy as Polish,” tweeted one pupil. All in all, over 283,000 youngsters began their 'Matura’ exams today.