On Sunday the UK government launched „Get Ready for Brexit”, an online portal and public information campaign to help individuals and businesses prepare for the possibility of a no-deal Brexit next month.
The campaign, which will reportedly cost the UK government upwards of 100 million pounds, was launched well before Wednesday’s marathon Parliamentary session that saw the UK House of Commons attempt to take control of the Brexit timeline. As such, the landing page opens with the declaration that “the United Kingdom is leaving the European Union on 31 October 2019” and admonishes businesses and individuals to “ find out what you or your business will need to do to get ready for Brexit.”
The site features a series of targeted checklists aimed at providing tailored advice. For UK citizens this includes renewing or acquiring passports for themselves and their pets, buying stickers for cars, and preparing for longer wait times at borders, increased legal fees for doing business, and the possible reinstatement of mobile roaming charges. For EU residents living in the UK, the advice consists mainly of applying for the EU settlement scheme and contacting employers or academic institutions as soon as possible.
Lost in the shuffle, however, are UK citizens resident in the EU. The website merely warns that “you may not be able to continue living and using services in the EU if you are not a resident” which could translate to restrictions on doing business, obtaining healthcare, and working or traveling in other EU countries.
For UK citizens living in Poland, however, the situation is much more optimistic. The Polish government approved legislation last March formalizing the residency status of UK citizens and their family members in Poland in case of a no-deal Brexit. The temporary residency status will be valid until December 2020.
To “get ready” for yourself, visit https://www.gov.uk/get-ready-brexit-check
Vice President Mike Pence wasn’t the only high-ranking American official visiting Poland last weekend, as US National Security Advisor John Bolton wrapped up the last leg of his regional tour in Warsaw last Friday.
Along with voicing concerns about Russian military activities in the Baltic, Bolton met with Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Błaszczak to discuss six deployment locations for additional US troops in Poland. In a joint declaration signed two months ago, the Presidents of the US and Poland called for an additional 1000 US troops to be added to the current roster of 4,500 already stationed in Poland as part of ongoing NATO activities.
In later remarks, Bolton lauded Poland for being “an outstanding partner of the US and NATO” and confirmed US President Donald Trump’s commitment to visit Warsaw in 2019 after Trump was forced to cancel his most recent trip due to Hurricane Dorian.
Pence and Bolton were also joined by US Secretary of Defense Mark Esper, who reportedly took part in talks regarding the purchase of American F-35 fighter jets by Poland.
Continuing one of the “greatest successes in the history of men’s basketball,” the Polish men’s team dominated Ivory Coast 80-69 last night at the Basketball World Cup in Beijing.
With its third consecutive win in the tournament, the twelve-man team, led by American coach Mike Taylor, has already secured a spot in the qualifying tournament for next year’s Tokyo Olympics, and will now advance to the second round of this year’s World Cup.
Over half the team is comprised of players with a direct connection to Pomerania, including top performers Mateusz Ponitka, formerly of Arka Gdynia, and Adam “Waca” Waczyński, formerly of Trefl Sopot.
The Polish team will face its next challenge this Friday against Russia, who lost to top-ranked Argentina last night. The game is set to start at 2:30pm Polish time.
A failure at the Chajka wastewater treatment plan in Warsaw last Tuesday resulted in thousands of tons of untreated sewage being dumped in the Wisła river.
According to the Institute of Meteorology and Water Management, the polluted water is forecast to arrive in Gdańsk Bay today or tomorrow due to heavy rains earlier in the week. As such, farmers, fishermen, and others are advised to avoid areas near the river where bacteria may multiply, such as standing water by sandbanks and landspurs. Additionally, the river itself should not be used for recreational purposes.
Drinking water supplies are safe, however, as none of the cities in Pomerania draw their drinking water from the Wisła.
The Provincial Inspectorate for Environmental Protection in Gdańsk will also control the level of river pollution by retaining water in four locations along the river: Biała Góra, Kiezmark, Gdańsk-Świbno and the Bay of Gdańsk.
RGEN News
