Decydent & Decision Maker

Main Polish magazines

"We have a reputation in the European Union for being unbearable among some visitors [to Poland]. Today we are known as a country that clearly expresses its own opinion, but is predictable and prepared to compromise."

Prime Minister Marek Belka in an interview for Rzeczpospolita daily

Rzeczpospolita

"...I am an optimist when it comes to our nation and I believe in our success in the European Union. Particularly because I am in favor of measured, evolutionary, but gradual European integration. This is the greatest opportunity for Poles. If nothing else because of our relations with Russia. Our overriding interest is creating a common European policy towards Russia, with Poland as an integral force shaping that policy.
When I say gradual integration, I am referring to two things. The first has a civilizational-historical dimension. European civilization is in crisis. Demographically and politically because of conflict over the constitutional treaty and internationally as a result of an inability to craft joint action with the U.S. in relation to Iraq. It is in Poland’s interest for Europe to become a more integrated organism, able to defend our civilization. Europe, in the face of growing national conflicts and without a sense of a common mission, is threatened by an autonomous French-Russian and German-Russian policy. There is also a purely practical dimension of integration – free movement on the European market...”
Donald Tusk, leader of the Citizen’s Platform (PO), Polish presidential candidate

Gazeta Wyborcza

What do Poles think about the teachings of the Catholic Church? What do Poles expect from Pope Benedict XVI? The answers to these questions were sought by the PBS polling center.
Below are some of the figures obtained in the poll. Benedict XVI shouldn’t change the Church’s current policies with respect to women in the priesthood or homosexualism – say two-thirds of respondents, while only 20 percent support a more liberal approch to these issues by the Vatican. More than half are in favor of the pope’s continued opposition to abortion – the opposite opinion was expressed by one-third of those polled.
Sixty percent of Poles believe that Benedict XVI should permit the use of the death penalty in some cases. Poles differ in this respect from John Paul II, who was decidedly opposed to the death penalty, although the practice was not condemned in the Canon Law of 1983. In other surveys approximately three-fourths of Poles were in favor of the death penalty.
Half of those polled think Benedict XVI should permit divorce, while 42 percent oppose this move. The teachings of the Catholic Church do not acknowledge divorce, but only marriage annulment in particular circumstances (if the marriage was forced on one or both partners by their families or if the couple is unable to have children). In 2003 Poles were ranked third in terms of the number of marriages annuled by the Vatican.
The most glaring departure from the teachings of John Paul II involves the issue of contraception. As many as 70 percent of respondents believe that the new pope should recognize the use of certain contraceptives, while only 21 percent are opposed.
Expectations concerning an “open Church” that is prepared to change its traditional policies are most strongly expressed among young people who reside in large cities and have a higher education as well as by men. However, traditional attitudes are more common among older Poles, residents of villages and smaller towns, those with an elementary level education and women.
A total of 93 percent of those polled believe that dialogue with other religions – not only Christian (Islam, Judaism) – should be deepened. Only 4 percent are opposed.
Telephone polls conducted April 23 by PBS for Gazeta Wyborcza on a representative, random sample of 1,000 adult members of the Polish population.

Puls biznesu

"We have a parliament that is able to last, but unable to make law. We have a prime minister who doesn’t want to be prime minister and is in opposition to the political groups that support the current government – this strange situation is indeed a sign of impending deadlock. Perhaps this is for the better, since this parliament, which already lacks even a shred of legitimization, should not pass any legal acts, particularly those that apply to the business community. Its successors will examine those laws and evaluate their value for themselves anyway, which means more work down the drain. I foresee even greater activity among outgoing deputies when discussion is launched concerning the government’s project for a Polish Agency of Economic Promotion and the creation of such an institute, which might provide them with a soft place to land and a hefty salary.
Our economic policy has long suffered from an unfortunate disease – it is determined by deputies who sharply criticize the current government and who themselves have not even a short-term vision. As a result we have one great bag of contradictions. This state of affairs, unfortunately, has been maintained for some time and has a destructive effect on the economy. Irrespective of who takes power after the fall elections and whether the new ruling elite has some kind of clear concept or not, the situation will still be better than the current one because we are caught in a downward spiral towards socialism and empty conflicts.”
Rafał Bauer, president of Wólczanka, on the pages of Puls Biznesu

Polityka

"It is true that the education level of Poles is modest. In the old Union, the number of those with a higher education between the ages of 25-64 amounts to 22 percent, while the Polish figure is a mere 12 percent. The average employee in Poland devotes only two hours to group training. Annually, in developed countries that figure is 5-70 hours. Obtaining further knowledge is costly and unpopular – only 8-10 percent of Polish employees are involved in continuing education programs, while in the EU as many as 20 percent do so. Public and private expenditures on research are small. Patents are too expensive, particularly for smaller firms. The likelihood of significant inventions is therefore slight... It would be better to ensure inexpensive access to foreign inventions than to rely on our own, particularly since the protection of intellectual property is something new and not entirely accepted. The products of human imagination and intellect – especially those of talented artists – are eagerly and rapidly ‘nationalized,’ or acknowledged as national, belonging to everyone and not their creators. Their commercialization and protection seems inherently out of place. Private property itself does not enjoy particular esteem – we are the one nation in the region that was unable (or unwilling) to implement privatization.”
Andrzej Olechowski, former minister of foreign affairs and at one time a candidate for president of Poland

Wprost

“Until August 1989 the security organs of the Peoples’ Poland contained an independent and very developed anti-Church pillar, popularly known as the fourth pillar – named after the Fouth Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The existence and operation of this fourth pillar was the result of a strategy adopted by communist parties throughout the Soviet camp with respect to religion and religious institutions.
The most essential element in the work of the fourth pillar was the construction of a network of agents around and within church institutions. The most important targets, in terms of the need to develop networks of secret collaborators, were the offices of Bishops, religious seminaries and cathedral chapters. Agents were also sought among parish priests and vicars – as well as in small parishes and those that were father away from large cities.
Karol Wojtyła (later Pope John Paul II), until 1978 one of the most talented and threatening, according to the ruling elite of communist Poland, hierarchs of the Polish Church, was the target of particularly intensive surveillance by the Security Forces (SB). Although the first notes in security documents mentioning his name were dated 1946, the file on Karol Wojtyła was launched in earnest after his appointment as Kraków Suffragan in 1958 and was stepped up after his nomination as Metropolitan in 1964. The SB’s most intensive activities with respect to Wojtyła began in 1967 after he received the skullcap of a Cardinal from the hands of Pope Paul VI.
In the mid-1970s, approximately 4.5 thousand agents were involved in the surveillance of the Polish Church.
Marek Lasota, historian from the Kraków division of the Institute of National Remembrance

PRESS REVIEW

Komentarze, felietony, eventy