‘One year after the parliamentary elections (…) I have decided to deliver an address to the Polish Parliament. I believe that, on the one hand, it is necessary to sum up everything that has been accomplished or abandoned, and, on the other hand, also to point out how fundamental the goals and challenges facing the Republic of Poland are today. Poles deserve to have their concerns taken seriously - President Andrzej Duda stated in the Polish Parliament during his address to the MPs.

One year after the elections

At the beginning of his address, the President stressed that the year that has passed since the previous general elections is the right time to review what ‘has been done or neglected’.

Security

President Duda subsequently focused on security.

Ensuring security is one of the most important tasks of any government and any authority. And Poland today faces challenges that require particularly responsible and firm decisions, especially in a situation where there is war beyond our eastern border as a result of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, and where Putin’s Russia is constantly making threats against NATO countries, including, for example recently, against us, Poland.

Therefore, rapid modernisation and expansion of our Armed Forces is an imperative today. As President, I have supported, I continue to support and will continue to support all activities strengthening our defence potential, our military security

— emphasised the President.

Modernisation of the army

In his address, he recalled the modernisation of the Polish army undertaken by the United Right government.

President Duda also addressed the Minister of National Defence, Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Minister, Deputy Prime Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, both for bringing about the signing of the aforementioned contracts and for good and much-needed cooperation in the area of security. I also consider the programme for modern individual equipment for soldiers initiated by Minister Kosiniak-Kamysz to be very important

— Duda said.

As the President of the Republic of Poland and the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, I consider it necessary to continue all the modernisation programmes already started in the Polish army - we have no time to lose, we must act! This is the requirement of the present and the future.

Border defence

President Duda then took up the subject of the defence of Polish borders, mainly in the context of the situation on the border with Belarus. The President stressed that he was glad that the current government had finally joined the ‘defenders of borders’.

I am glad that the government of Prime Minister Donald Tusk and his political camp currently in power in Poland have finally joined the defenders of the borders of the Republic! But after all, when the vote was taken here in the Sejm on the construction of the dam on the border, only PSL MPs, from among the then opposition MPs, voted in favour of its construction. At that time the majority of the then opposition, and today those in power, were attacking the border guards, the army, mocking the defenders of the Polish borders, supporting celebrities insulting and humiliating the officers. Now there has been a complete 180-degree change.

But ladies and gentlemen, I want to emphasise this: better late than never! Yet it is important to remember that you have never apologised for your outrageous words and actions, and today in matters of security you often try to lecture those who were right from the very beginning

— he pointed out.

Big investments

In his address, President Duda also referred to major investments, such as the Central Communication Port.

Poles want a dynamically developing Poland; they want a government that implements ambitious projects. Modern ones, in line with the times and the challenges of the future. They want a far-sighted policy. I spoke about it from this place a year ago.

We want the kind of Poland that develops its potential, where well-paid jobs are created for our citizens. We want the kind of Poland that will compete successfully in further areas of the economy with other countries, including the most powerful ones. For this to happen, however, we need a far-sighted development policy and major infrastructure investments, which will become the flywheel of our country’s development. A large country on a European scale

— he said.

Unfortunately, what is happening today, or perhaps it would be better to say: what is not happening in these matters, arouses not only my concern, but also the concern of millions of Poles. The best proof of this is the public campaign: ‘Yes to CPK’. It is more than just a gesture of impatience, a warning signal - it is a voice of irritation at those in power, that they are wasting a historic opportunity for a quantum leap in the civilisational development of our homeland.

The realisation of projects such as the construction of the Central Communication Port with a network of railway connections, the container port in Świnoujście, as well as the construction of Polish nuclear power plants and the expansion of ports in Gdańsk and Gdynia should be the absolute priority of the government of the Republic of Poland, including the government of Prime Minister Donald Tusk.

— he said.

Poland needs stable sources of energy, which will be able to power our economy for the next decades, meet the requirements of the energy transformation and, above all, meet the requirements of climate protection, which are imposed on us by Europe and the world. This is why we must focus on the construction of nuclear power plants

— he stressed.

Nuclear power plants

President Duda reproached the ruling coalition for wasting energy on organising ‘media spectacles’.

Meanwhile, it has to be said in all honesty, looking at what has been happening over the past year, that matters of major investment have clearly not become a priority for the current government. Rather the opposite, unfortunately.

The circumstances show - they have been pushed into the background. Instead of implementing ambitious plans, the state’s energy and resources have been diverted into organising witch hunts, satisfying some, excuse me, lowest instincts. Ladies and gentlemen, a task which may be easier, but which certainly contributes nothing at all to Poland’s development. On the contrary, it divides society and perpetuates existing divisions.

Ladies and Gentlemen, you are wasting your energy on media spectacles in front of investigative commissions which have not really established anything, instead of concentrating on what is most important for Poles, i.e. building a modern state, creating conditions for raising the standard of living and ensuring the security of citizens. This does not only concern military security, but also energy, health and food security.

— he stressed.

Poor performance of state-owned companies

Later in the address, the President spoke, among other things, about the poor performance of State Treasury companies. He also recalled that the government of the United Right was fulfilling its promises despite the difficult international situation.

He also touched on the government’s ineptitude in the sphere of public finances.

The seriousness of the situation can be illustrated by the information recently presented by the Ministry of Health about plans to close hospitals or their wards and reduce the provision of medical services due to financial reasons. And the government bears full responsibility for this! This situation is unacceptable. Not a single patient should be left without the necessary help. Poles deserve full and transparent information on such an important issue as health security. The place to present it honestly by the government is this room. Just as it is the right place to present remedies so that the health security of Poles is not endangered.

I have no doubt that this is urgently desired by our society.

— he said.

Democracy and the rule of law

The President’s address also featured a theme devoted to democracy and the rule of law.

During the inaugural sitting of the Sejm, I spoke of a great success, of the strength of Polish democracy - the fact that 74 per cent of those entitled to vote took part in the elections - almost 22 million Poles. But I also stressed that these 22 million votes are a great obligation and a great task for the new Sejm, the new parliamentary majority and the new government. Almost a year on, can we say that this great task has been well accomplished?

Well, ladies and gentlemen, it is impossible not to mention matters that are appalling to anyone who cares about legal order, democracy and the rule of law. And this is what lies at the heart of me - as president, as a lawyer, as a doctor of legal sciences and, finally, simply as a citizen

— he pointed out.

I have never questioned the right of the current government and parliamentary majority to carry out reforms. I have never questioned the right to carry out reforms.

But today we are operating in the mode of a ‘resolutionocracy’, in which resolutions are attempted to be elevated to the status of laws, which is - excuse me - a legal and systemic heresy, which is a violation of the Constitution, which defines the system of sources of law unequivocally

— he stressed.

Judges

Another scandal is the stigmatisation of judges who, having been appointed in full compliance with the Constitution and the laws in force, deliver judgements on behalf of the Republic. Stigmatisation by calling them ‘neo-judges’. This deceitful and deliberately demeaning term is intended to further create chaos and confusion and, in essence, also threaten these judges.

I spoke about this recently at the Supreme Court and I will repeat it: I appointed more than 3,500 judges who have handed down millions of rulings; I appointed them just as they were appointed by all my predecessor Presidents of Poland in turn. These judges have been resolving the life issues of Poles for the past years. They are judges and the rulings made by them are in force, they are enforced, they are important to the people.

Questioning their legal status means, in fact, undermining the very foundation of the state, which is the judiciary, with all its dramatic social and, above all, personal consequences for citizens

— he said.

I am sorry to say and to remind you of this, but these politically and ambitionally motivated actions are all the more despicable when we realise that they are often headed by prominent and well-known representatives of the legal community, including those responsible for the fact that, after the fall of communism in Poland, no account was taken of the communist judges and that judges who were stained with membership of the Polish United Workers’ Party (PZPR) and responsible for political judgments against members of the anti-communist opposition, the martial law judges, were allowed to remain in the judiciary of free Poland.

Today, in free, democratic, sovereign Poland, the same people want to vet young judges and force them to express ‘active regret’. They are well aware, and in fact perhaps they are counting on breaking the backs of these judges in this way, and thereby destroying their independence forever. Shame and disgrace, ladies and gentlemen! This is shame and disgrace

— said President Duda.

You once lacked the courage to hold communist judges to account, and today you want to break the backs of the judges of free Poland. I will never agree to this. I will never agree to this. I would like to make this clear: in Poland we have a Constitutional Tribunal, we have a Supreme Court, we have a National Council of the Judiciary, and we have judges appointed by the President in accordance with the Constitution and laws. If there is a problem somewhere, it is the government, which chooses its own judgements. If the verdict is in the government’s favour, then the government recognises the court or institution that made that verdict. If not, the court or institution is not recognised. This is the reality we have today.

It could hardly be more hypocritical, especially on the part of those who not so long ago were shouting in Brussels about violations of the rule of law. And complained to the whole world about Poland

— President Duda recalled.

‘Fighting democracy’

In the address, the President also addressed the issue of the national prosecutor Dariusz Barski.

The legislation is clear that the Minister of Justice needs the approval of the President to dismiss the National Prosecutor. To disregard this requirement is to break the law. This is precisely the breach of the law that the Prime Minister and the Minister of Justice committed by preventing - de facto by force - Dariusz Barski from performing the functions of the National Prosecutor and unlawfully entrusting this performance to Dariusz Korneluk. Unlawfully!

The consequence of this situation, which has long been unequivocally defined by the Supreme Administrative Court and, a few weeks ago, also by the Supreme Court, may be the undermining of prosecutorial actions, indictments, operational checks and, consequently, the inability to punish the perpetrators of crimes and compensate their victims. Be aware of this.

The personal responsibility for this lies with the Prime Minister and the Minister of Justice. The full responsibility for the consequences arising from this situation rests with you!

— stressed Duda.

Today, in an attempt to justify these acts of lawlessness, Prime Minister Tusk says something about ‘fighting democracy’. Mr Prime Minister, Poles remember that when we had a people’s democracy in the People’s Republic of Poland, there was really no democracy at all! Poles know very well that adjectival democracy is in fact a facade democracy, a democracy in name only. The best proof of this is your resolutionocracy and the stories of the aforementioned recently known prosecutor about the decrees with which the Prime Minister circumvents the law

— pointed out the President.

Hiding behind terms such as ‘’fighting democracy‘’ does not make breaking the law any less a violation of the law! Mr Prime Minister, Poland today does not need any ‘fighting democracy’ - Poland today only needs a democracy that works well! Simply democracy

— he added.

Finally, President Duda said:

Some are calculating the remaining days of my term. I promise you solemnly that until the last moment of my presidency I will be guided only by the best interests of our homeland and citizens. Exactly so, from the very beginning to the very end.

Those of you who are counting the time especially in the media until next August, wearing the smiles of citizens, are committing the sin of pride. They have not yet won the presidential elections, and they are already calculating instead of getting down to work for the sake of Poland and the Polish people. Here and now.

Ladies and gentlemen,

please bear in mind that Poland is more than just power, tenure and privileges. Power comes and goes, such are the rules of democracy - and that’s fine. And Poland must last. Many forget that Poland is over 1050 years of great history. And there is a good future ahead of us, despite the enormous challenges, I deeply believe it. God bless Poland!

— concluded the President.

Tłum. K.J.