Poland has sent a letter to the European Union’s executive Commission, explaining that its investigation into possible irregularities in the granting of work visas to migrants concerns 268 visa applications.

In the document the ministry noted that during the 18-month investigation, Poland had granted more than 500,000 work visas, of which almost 80 percent for the citizens of Ukraine and Belarus. Meanwhile, the number of so-called short-term Schengen work visas issued during this period totalled 767, according to officials. The Polish foreign ministry also said that prosecutors had so far brought charges against seven persons, none of them state officials. The probe focuses on the „exercise of unauthorised influence on consular officials to fast-track selected visa applications,” the ministry added. There have been allegations that migrants were granted visas in a fast-track procedure without proper checks in exchange for payments to intermediaries, according to news outlets.

Source – Polskie Radio

More than 1.7 million tourists visited Poland’s southern Tatra mountains this summer, according to the Tatra National Park officials.

The biggest number of holidaymakers flocked to the Tatras in August, as is tradition. The largest number of people to visit the Tatras was in the summer of 2021 when nearly 2 million visitors came to the area. The main tourist attraction this year was the Eye of the Sea Lake, visited by over 414,000 holidaymakers; the Kościeliska Valley attracted 227,600 people; and just over 195,000 tourists took the cable car to the summit of the 1,987-metre Kasprowy Wierch mountain, according to officials.

Source – Polskie Radio

Poland has issued an environmental permit for the country’s first-ever nuclear power plant, the climate and environment minister has said.

Poland’s General Directorate for Environmental Protection (GDOS) has concluded that the building and operation of the plant will not adversely affect the environment, and its impact will be monitored. The climate and environment minister said: „This is a milestone in the implementation of an investment that is crucial from the point of view of energy security.” On Thursday, America’s largest engineering company Bechtel signed a formal agreement with Westinghouse Electric Co, earlier chosen by Poland as the supplier of technology, to team up in the design and construction of Poland’s first nuclear power plant.

Source – Polskie Radio

Archaeologists working at the site of the Naval Museum in Gdynia have discovered human remains – thought to be German soldiers from World War II.

The remains were found during earthworks on the seaside boulevard, preparing a site for the Sokół submarine display. Further investigations have revealed that the area is a burial site established by the Germans in March 1945. At that time there was a military hospital about 100 metres from the location of the remains. 11 soldiers are believed to have been buried there. The remains will be reburied at one of the existing German war cemeteries in the area.

Source – Radio Gdańsk

Weather

Today will be a day of sunny intervals in a gentle breeze with temperatures of 21 degrees Celsius (70 degrees Fahrenheit) during the day and 9 degrees overnight. Tomorrow will continue with sunny intervals in a gentle breeze and temperatures of 19 degrees during the day and 5 degrees overnight.

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Martin Caren/MarWer