The European Union’s proposed EUR 750 billion recovery fund will be launched over the veto of Poland and Hungary if necessary, according to public statements made over the weekend by European Parliament President David Sassoli.
In an interview with Italian broadcaster Sky Tg24, Sassoli claimed the EU would “proceed as regards both the fund and the rule of law” despite a lack of consensus in the 27-member bloc. The recovery fund is part of a bigger financial package that includes a seven-year budget framework.
Warsaw, along with Budapest, has threatened to veto the bloc’s 2021-2027 budget over a previously agreed-upon mechanism that would link access to EU funds with respect for the rule of law.
Piotr Müller, a spokesperson for the Polish government, stated on Friday that Poland had no plans to change its stance regarding the rule of law mechanism or its veto.
Polish motorists no longer need to carry their license with them when getting behind the wheel.
In line with new regulations that came into force last Saturday, Polish drivers will no longer have to carry their licenses while driving. In case of police controls, the document can be checked using a special digital system.
The new rules will help avoid situations where drivers are fined for failing to show their license during a traffic stop. While the fines are minimal (50 PLN or 11 EUR), drivers stopped for such an offense were previously not allowed to continue driving, which caused significant problems in many cases.
The new regulations, however, do not include foreigners driving on Polish roads. Noncitizens are still obliged to provide their physical license if stopped by police.
An outdoor exhibition on Polish World War II airmen opened yesterday in Gdańsk on the grounds of the World War II Museum.
The exhibition, entitled “The Airmen,” features photographs of over 30 Polish pilots and soldiers of other military formations who served in the British Royal Air Force in the 1940s.
The photos were taken by London-based Polish artist Michał Solarski, who visited the veterans in their homes in Poland, the USA, Canada, and the UK over the past six years together with writer Joanna Frydel-Solarska, who contributed the text accompanying the images.
The exhibit coincides with the 80th anniversary of the Battle of Britain, a series of air battles fought in the summer and autumn of 1940 to defend Britain from a planned Nazi invasion. Between July and October 1940, Polish airmen downed 170 enemy planes and seriously damaged 36. Twenty-nine Polish pilots were killed in battle. The 144 Polish pilots named in the Royal Air Force’s Roll of Honor constituted the largest non-British contingent engaged in the battle.
In addition to Solarski’s photos, the exhibition features a selection of archive photographs documenting Polish soldiers in Britain. The exhibition will remain open until March 6, 2021.
Last Friday, the Royal Scottish National Orchestra (RSNO) launched a series of events and concerts to promote Polish composers.
The first concert in the series, conducted by Cornelius Meister, included “Adagio for Strings” by Krzysztof Penderecki, the famous Polish composer who passed away in March of this year.
The “Polska Scotland” series marks the centenary of Polish independence and is supported by the Consulate General of the Republic of Poland in Edinburgh and the Adam Mickiewicz Institute in Warsaw.
The program includes a dozen concerts featuring works by such prominent Polish 20th-century composers as Karol Szymanowski, Witold Lutosławski, Grażyna Bacewicz, Mieczysław Wajnberg and Wojciech Kilar.
In addition to concerts, the series includes composers’ workshops and panel discussions. All concerts can be streamed online via the RSNO’s Digital Season website (https://www.rsno.org.uk/) from now until March 2021.
Weather
Monday will be mostly sunny but cold, with a strong breeze coming in from the southeast and very little chance of rain. Temperatures will remain above freezing, with a high of 3 °C, or 38°F, dropping slightly to a chilly overnight low of -2°C or 29°F. Similar weather is expected tomorrow and Wednesday, with a chance for snow appearing on Thursday or Friday.
Elizabeth Peck/ako
