Poland's liberals aim to complete their revolution
The legislative elections of October 15, 2023 – unexpectedly won by the liberal coalition led by Prime Minister Donald Tusk – were considered the most important since the fall of communism in Poland. The presidential election on May 18 and June 1 is equally significant, as it represents the second round of what was initiated then: a liberal counter-revolution after eight years of a conservative revolution marked by the reactionary and authoritarian governance of the Law and Justice party (PiS) led by Jaroslaw Kaczynski.
It is worth recalling what has been universally hailed by European liberals as a democratic miracle. After two terms marked by blatant violations of the Constitution and principles of the rule of law, a coalition composed of liberals, Christian conservatives and left-wing parties returned to power, despite the entire state apparatus being mobilized against them. A third PiS victory would have likely anchored Poland permanently in an authoritarian system, similar to those established in Hungary or Turkey.
In a Europe grappling with the rise of populism, this democratic feat was all the more remarkable. However, this revolution remained unfinished, as the so-called "October 15" coalition got entangled in a tumultuous cohabitation with President Andrzej Duda, from the PiS, who positioned himself as a staunch defender of his party's legacy, using his veto power to block any institutional reforms aimed at restoring the rule of law or progressing civil rights.
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Fashion Network
2 hours ago
- Fashion Network
French Senate approves ‘anti-fast-fashion' bill chiefly targeting Shein, Temu
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France 24
3 hours ago
- France 24
Clothes at what cost? French fast fashion bill puts onus on Chinese brands
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Euronews
5 hours ago
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'Historic milestone': EU and UK strike political deal on Gibraltar
Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk has survived a vote of confidence in the Sejm, the lower house of parliament, with 243 MPs voting in favour with 210 against. There were no abstentions. Tusk requested a vote of confidence in the wake of the loss of Warsaw Mayor Rafał Trzaskowski, a close ally, to conservative Karol Nawrocki in the 1 June presidential runoff. Backed by US President Donald Trump, Nawrocki is set to replace outgoing President Andrzej Duda, another Law and Justice or PiS party-backed conservative who repeatedly blocked Tusk's reform efforts. "Anyone who is ready to move forward with me, with the government, and above all with our voters, regardless of these momentary emotions, and build a better Poland, should vote today for a vote of confidence in our government," Tusk said in the house before the vote. Tusk had long counted on a Trzaskowski victory to break the institutional deadlock created by Duda's vetoes. Instead, he now faces an incoming president aligned with the nationalist opposition and openly hostile to his government's legislative priorities. "We cannot close our eyes to reality," he said. "A president who was reluctant to accept the changes we proposed for Poland and our voters is being replaced by a president who is at least equally reluctant to those changes and proposals." But he also argued that Trzaskowski's narrow defeat indicates that there is continued strong support for those who share his views. The election result rattled the already uneasy governing coalition, which spans from centre-left to centre-right and has struggled to deliver on key campaign pledges, including liberalising Poland's abortion law and legalising same-sex civil unions. Many also blamed Tusk for contributing to Trzaskowski's loss. Much of the criticism has come from within his coalition, as his partners examine whether they are better off sticking with him or risking a collapse of the coalition. Some had even called for a new prime minister to be selected. There are questions about what Tusk can realistically achieve before the next parliamentary election, scheduled for late 2027, and whether the coalition will even survive that long amid a surge in popularity for the far right. Polish media and political analysts are debating whether this might be the 68-year-old Tusk's political twilight. "I know the taste of victory, I know the bitterness of defeat, but I don't know the word surrender," Tusk said. As part of his fresh start, he announced plans for a government reconstruction in July that will include "new faces." He said a government spokesman would be appointed in June, an acknowledgement that the coalition needs a way to present a unified message. So far Tusk has sought to communicate his policies to the public himself on social media and in news conferences. Tusk served as Polish prime minister from 2007 to 2014 and then as president of the European Council from 2014 to 2019. He became Poland's prime minister again in December 2023 in a country hit by the pandemic and inflation and facing significant political divisions. In a sign of those divisions, half of the parliament hall was empty on Wednesday, with lawmakers from the right-wing PiS party boycotting his speech. Tusk said their absence showed disrespect to the nation. Most of the power in Poland's parliamentary system rests with an elected parliament and a government chosen by the parliament. However, the president can veto legislation and represent the country abroad. The EU and the UK on Wednesday struck a political agreement to ensure the continued circulation of people and goods between Spain and Gibraltar without any physical barriers. European Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič called it a "truly historic milestone for the EU, including Spain, as well as for the UK and Gibraltar". He said it came after a "successful meeting" with Spanish Minister for Foreign Affairs José Manuel Albares, British Foreign Secretary David Lammy, and Chief Minister of Gibraltar Fabian Picardo. Lammy described the deal on X as a "practical solution which safeguards sovereignty, jobs and growth". "We have ensured Gibraltar's interests - as part of the UK family - are at the heart of this agreement," he added. The UK and Spain have been trying to reach a deal for years to ensure that people and goods could cross freely over the British overseas territory's land border with Spain. But one of the remaining sticking points was how the territory's border would be controlled. All sides were eager to find a deal before the EU's new entry/exit system comes into force, which is now slated for October this year. Gibraltar, which is a British Overseas Territory, was ceded to the UK in 1713, but Spain has claimed the territory as its own. "This agreement marks a before and after for stability, cooperation and well-being, creating an area of shared prosperity between Gibraltar and Campo de Gibraltar, as has been our goal all this time," Albares, who spoke alongside Šefčovič from Brussels, told reporters. "With this agreement, the fence, the last wall of continental Europe, will disappear and the free movement of people and goods is guaranteed," he added. The deal will preserve the Schengen area, the EU Single Market and Customs Union but remove all physical barriers, checks and controls on persons and goods at the crossing points between Spain and Gibraltar. Checks will however be carried out at Gibraltar's port and airport. On goods, the parties agreed on the principles underpinning the future customs unions between the EU and Gibraltar, as well as an agreement on the principles of indirect taxation to be applied in Gibraltar, including on tobacco. "The legal certainty, the legal clarity will clearly improve the business environment for the whole region," Šefčovič said. Spain and the UK also agreed a new cooperation framework for the exchange of information, a mandatory consultation mechanism and the creation of a financial mechanism to promote economic and social development, employment and cohesion between the two sides. The full legal text still needs to be finalised by negotiating teams and will then be submitted to the various internal procedures required by the various parties before being ratified. Šefčovič said he is "absolutely convinced" the deal will be ratified because the parties "really went through every single aspect, every little detail". "I believe we found the best possible response for every challenge put on the table over the last couple of years," he also said. Maia de la Baume also contributed to the reporting. A lack of updated map data is making the fight against wildfires in Europe inefficient, the European Court of Auditors (ECA) said in a report on Wednesday. The report analyses how some member states use EU funds to prevent wildfires. While it acknowledges significant investments in prevention, the ECA notes that the data used are outdated and there is little monitoring of the actual impact of the spending. The report reviewed projects funded since 2014 through the European Structural and Investment Funds and the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) in Greece, Spain, Poland, and Portugal. Auditors concluded that projects selected to receive EU funds do not always target areas where the impact will be the greatest. For instance, it was found that in Greece the list of areas prone to forest fires is more than 45 years old, while a partially flooded area in Portugal was prioritised for forest fires because the hazard map was outdated and didn't include a dam built several years earlier. "On a positive note, more EU money is being spent on prevention of fires. However, the way EU-funded projects are selected means the money doesn't always go where it could make the biggest difference. Little is known about the results of these funded projects, and, once the project ends, it's unclear whether the activities will be continued," Nikolaos Milionis, the ECA member responsible for the audit, said during a press conference. In some Spanish regions, meanwhile, the budget was shared equally between all provinces, regardless of risks and needs. The three countries, along with France, are traditionally among the worst-hit EU member states when it comes to wildfires. Forest fires have intensified in recent years with an average of more than 5,200 square kilometres going up in flames yearly over the past four years across the 27-country bloc. Member states have increasingly focused their effort on preventive measures. In Portugal, for instance, the percentage spent on prevention rose from 20% in 2017 to 61% in 2022, according to the ECA. Auditors were however unable to tally up the precise amount of EU funds that were spent by member states on forest fires due in part to governments not being required to differentiate between different types of natural disasters when reporting to the European Commission on the amounts spent. As such, the real impact of EU funds in tackling forest fires is unknown, auditors say. They called on the EU executive to promote good practices for project selection including through the use of up-to-date risk maps, geographical coverage criterion and a risk-based criteria. They also urged the Commission to make use of the information available at EU level through the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS), which tracks burnt areas and fires on a weekly basis across the bloc, among other data. The platform shows for instance that more than 168,000 hectares have been reduced to cinders as of 10 June across the EU - nearly triple the amount burnt by that date on average over the 2006-2024 period - in some 911 fires, a number also up by 2.5 times. The ECA's report did not review funds provided through the response function or the EU Civil Protection Mechanism, which will be the subject of a future audit. The Commission has for instance financed the acquisition of 12 amphibious firefighting planes, which are set to start coming online in 2027, and is also shouldering the cost of pre-positioning firefighters in high-risk areas.
