Polish President Andrzej Duda and his Latvian counterpart have backed calls for a special international court to prosecute Russian war crimes in Ukraine.
Speaking at a joint news conference in Riga on Wednesday, President Duda and Latvia’s Egils Levits called for a special tribunal to be created “under the auspices of NATO” or other international bodies to try those responsible for war crimes in Ukraine.
The Polish president was speaking during a three-day visit to Latvia for talks on Russia’s war against Ukraine, further Western support for Kyiv, and the security of the eastern flank of NATO, among other topics, according to officials.
The statement by Duda and Levits joins an increasing chorus of calls by international officials and institutions to hold Russian and Belarusian officials accountable for crimes committed in Ukraine.
In January, both the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) and members of the European Parliament called for establishing an international tribunal, following comments made earlier by European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen.
Last November, von der Leyen stated that the EU was seeking to set up a specialized court, backed by the United Nations, to investigate and prosecute possible war crimes committed by Russia in Ukraine.
Source: Radio Poland
Polish senators have unanimously approved a key judicial reform bill to help the country access billions in EU funds withheld due to an ongoing dispute over the rule of law.
The measure passed in a 96-0 vote with no abstentions in the upper house of parliament late on Tuesday, Poland’s PAP news agency reported.
The legislation now reverts to the Sejm, the lower chamber of Poland’s bicameral parliament, for a final vote after the Senate made 14 modifications to the original proposal.
According to Poland’s governing conservative Law and Justice (PiS) party, the bill would change rules for disciplining judges and testing their independence, in line with the expectations of the European Commission.
Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said in December that Poland’s dispute with the European Union over the rule of law must be resolved so that Poland could receive billions of euros from the bloc’s pandemic relief fund.
After approval by the Sejm, the planned judicial overhaul is expected to go to President Duda to be signed into law.
Source: Radio Poland
Pomerania’s „Clean Air” program continues to gain popularity as local residents take advantage of subsidies to replace old heaters and modernize insulation.
The number of applications for subsidies to replace non-ecological furnaces has doubled since the start of the new year, according to Justyna Sikora from the Provincial Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management in Gdańsk.
Residents can be awarded up to PLN 135,000 for comprehensive thermo-modernization, including the replacement of insulation, window frames, and outdated heat sources. According to Sikora, only one in five applicants choose natural-gas heat sources as replacements, with some combination of photovoltaic or solar proving to be the most popular options.
Over the five years of the program’s existence, residents of Pomerania have submitted 29,000 applications to the program, which has allocated some PLN 230 million in subsidies.
The highest number of applications have come from Kartuzy, where over 1,200 applications were submitted, followed by Żuków and Puck, with 950 applications each. Sierakowice and Wejherowo round out the top five on the list, with the city of Gdańsk coming in sixth.
Certain types of older, inefficient boilers are scheduled to be phased out across Pomerania by September 2024.
Source: Radio Gdańsk
The most extensive series of indoor equestrian competitions in Poland, the CAVALIADA Tour, begins today at Ergo Arena in Sopot.
Nearly 250 competitors from 8 countries will participate in the competition, with last year’s winner of the CAVALIADA Grand Prix – Jarosław Skrzyczyński and his horse Inturido – leading this year’s Tour rankings.
The program features daily shows and entertainment, along with 12 classes of four equestrian competitions: show jumping, driving, dressage, and the Versatile Riding Horse Competition.
The Sopot portion of this year’s CAVALIADA tour will take place February 2-5, with events streamed live online at live.cavaliada.pl.
More detailed information can be found on the event website at: www.sopot.cavaliada.pl.
Source: Radio Gdańsk
Weather
Today will be cloudy and cold, with a chance for rain or snow showers throughout the day and a strong breeze coming in from the northwest. Temperatures will be slightly colder than yesterday, with highs of 3°C or 38°F dropping to a low of -2°C, or 29°F overnight. Similar weather is expected for tomorrow, with a chance for more snow during the day tomorrow.
Elizabeth Peck
