EU leaders ignore bloc’s major problems says Polish minister in Strasbourg

Yesterday, Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, delivered her State of the European Union speech at the European Parliament.

She spoke about „deepening integration” and enlargement of the bloc to ensure „geopolitical weight and the capacity to act.”

Von der Leyen also touched upon the issue of migration, saying that it needs to be „managed”, which in her opinion requires perseverance and patient work with key partners, and requires unity in the European Union.

Reacting to the speech, Poland’s minister of European affairs told the press that he is convinced that there is a reluctance on the part of European leaders and institutions to “notice the problems that plague the EU today”. He said “There is no doubt that migration issues are a big problem today troubling many Western EU countries.”

He also made clear that as Poland hosts many hundreds of thousands of refugees from Ukraine it does not need „immigrants who would like to get into Poland illegally, without any control.”

This comes against a backdrop of Paris saying it is boosting controls at the Italian border to halt migrants and Germany has suspended a solidarity mechanism to receive refugees from Italy, which has registered a massive increase on arrivals via sea from North Africa this year. As of yesterday, there were 6,762 migrants and refugees on Lampedusa – more than the island’s population of around 6,000 – after an unprecedented wave of arrivals in recent days.
Poland is holding a referendum on October 15th to ask citizens if they want the Polish government to participate in EU migrant relocation programmes.

(Reuters, Ansa)

Polish government plans state streaming service showing sport and films

Poland’s government has outlined plans to create a state streaming service – which some media have dubbed a “national Netflix” – that will allow citizens to watch national sports teams’ matches and films produced with public funds for free on their mobile phones.

“Sports broadcasts are the most popular programmes every year and that is why we want access to all our teams’ matches to always be [available] on your phones,” wrote digital affairs minister Janusz Cieszyński.

Therefore, if the ruling Law and Justice party wins another term at October’s parliamentary elections, it will enhance the functionality of the mObywatel (mCitizen) system that gives people access to various public services and information on their phones.

(PAP)

Mevo launch tests begin. Anyone can check out the bike service and the entire system for free

Open tests of the Mevo 2.0 bicycle hire system began on September 13. It is a great opportunity to check out both the bikes themselves and the app. Testing the system is free. By Sunday, September 17th, a total of two thousand bicycles are expected to be available on the streets.
The application can be downloaded in the Play and App Store. Anyone can take part in the free system testing – just create an account and connect your payment card. It is not yet decided how long the review period will take.

(Radio Gdańsk)

Poland sack national football team manager after six games

Fernando Santos has been sacked as Poland manager after six games and less than a year in charge.
Poland lost 2-0 in Albania on Sunday, a third defeat in five competitive games under Santos, and dropped to fourth in Group E of Euro 2024 qualifying.
The 68-year-old previously managed his native Portugal, winning Euro 2016 and the inaugural Nations League in 2018-19, but left after the 2022 World Cup. Poland’s next match is a qualifier against the Faroe Islands in October.
The Polish Football Association (PZPN) thanked Santos for his efforts, before Santos said he was „grateful” to have managed the nation.

(PAP)

The weather

Today’s weather will be warm and sunny with moderate cloud cover. The evening temperatures will drop considerably. Gusts of wind of up to 41 km/h will come in from the north. Daytime temperatures will see a high of 20°C or 68°F, with expected lows of 10°C or 50°F overnight. Tomorrow is expected to be much the same weather, with slightly warmer temperatures expected over the weekend.

Thomas Rado