Crisis Chronology

POLAND

02/05/2024

Polish farming union vows to shut border crossings with Ukraine.

01/24/2024

Protests by farmers in France and Brussels against low wages and regulatory burden. Poland farmers also demonstrate against “unfair” competition by Ukraine.

01/13/2024

Large street protests organized by former PM Kacsyński about the imprisonment of two members of Kaczyński’s Law and Justice party following their convictions on corruption charges. President Duda (a Kaczyński ally) has sided with the jailed lawmakers and referred to them as “political prisoners.” While Tusk wants to purge the courts of Kaczyński’s political cronies, they are blocking his attempts to free the country’s political institutions from Kaczyński’s policies. The EU has pledged to unfreeze funds that Poland badly needs only after Tusk has managed to depoliticize Poland’s courts and state media, but President Duda has the power to veto many of Tusk’s plans, creating a stalemate that undermines Tusk’s popularity. Duda’s final term ends in 2025.

12/14/2023

Tusk becomes prime minister

Donald Tusk is elected prime minister.

12/11/2023

PiS loses vote on forming a government, paving the way for Donald Tusk’s coalition to take power.

11/27/2023

Morawiecki becomes prime minister

PiS member Mateusz Morawiecki becomes prime minister, though the party is far short of a majority in parliament. The government is expected to fall.

11/13/2023

Leader of centrist party Poland 2050 Szymon Hołownia is elected leader of the Sejm in a victory for the three pro-EU parties in the legislature.

11/06/2023

PiS given first chance to form a government.

10/15/2023

Opposition wins election

Law and Justice wins about 36.6% of the vote, but Civic Platform, which won 31% has a more likely path to a coalition for governing. The result is considered a victory for democracy by international observers. With two other parties, Civic Platform could hold 248 seats in the 460-seat Sejm. Poland’s currency and stock market rise notably on the result. Turnout for the legislature is very high, possibly a record, but not enough voters responded about the referenda to make them binding.

10/13/2023

Election on 10/15. The government, which controls the media, has repressed coverage of opposition, but polls suggest a close race. There are also four inconsequential referenda on the ballot, initiated to allow the government to work around campaign finance restrictions, since the referenda are supposedly non-partisan.

10/01/2023

Substantial rally in Warsaw for Donald Tusk, former prime minister and leader of the opposition Civic Coalition. Polls have the Law and Justice Party in the lead, but the election is seen as close enough that a coalition will be needed to govern.

09/27/2023

Parliamentary elections scheduled for 10/15. The rising cost of living has fueled far-right support, including the far-right, free market movement known as the Confederation Liberty and Independence (“Confederation” for short), which has capitalized on voters’ grievances over economy – particularly those of young men, presenting itself as “anti-system” or anti-elite,” like the AFD in Germany and Vox in Spain. Recent polling suggests that the movement may emerge as a kingmaker in the election.

09/21/2023

Poland and Ukraine agree to negotiate on grain imports and other tensions.

09/20/2023

Poland says it will not make new shipments of arms to Ukraine as tensions between the two countries build.

09/15/2023

Poland bans imports of grain from Ukraine in response to complaints by agriculture that there is a glut of grain on the market, depressing prices.

08/10/2023

Poland to send up to ten thousand soldiers to the border with Belarus, where members of the Wagner group are said to be massing.

06/04/2023

Large anti-government protests across the country.

04/28/2023

An agreement in principle is reached to restore Ukraine grain trade to Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovakia.

04/16/2023

Poland and Hungary ban imports of Ukrainian wheat and other food products from Ukraine after a surge in cheap products impacts their markets. The European Commission criticizes the move, saying that trade policy is not the purview of individual nations in the EU. The EU lifted duties on grain from Ukraine at the beginning of the war, fearing widespread famine. Ukraine’s grain flowed into these countries, but largely stayed there, lowering prices. Farmers have been protesting. Ukraine says it is willing to negotiate.

03/15/2023

Poland says it will send fighter jets to Ukraine, the first NATO country to do so.

02/25/2023

Russia suspends some oil exports to Poland.

01/11/2023

German Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck says Germany should not block Poland’s transfer of tanks to Ukraine. However, his office also says no request has been made to do so. There are also calls for Germany to send its own Leopard-1 tanks to Ukraine, but the manufacturer says new tanks will not be ready until 2024.

01/10/2023

Poland agrees to send thirty German-made tanks to Ukraine if Germany agrees to the transfer. Eventually Germany does so.

12/22/2022

On his return from the United States, Ukraine President Zelenskyy meets with Polish President Duda .

12/14/2022

Poland refuses to vote for EU agreement with Hungary over aid to Ukraine and aid to Hungary (and two other issues) over concerns about the minimum corporate tax rate plan.

12/13/2022

EU agrees to reduce frozen Hungarian funds and to provide COVID-19 relief funds. In exchange Hungary votes to provide €18 billion in aid to Ukraine.

11/19/2022

Polish military chief says that Russia is escalating military preparation on border with NATO.

11/15/2022

Missile explodes in Poland, just over the border from Ukraine. Poland and others fear that it was an attack by Russia. However, by the next day, most announce that it seems more likely that it was a Ukrainian anti-missile defense missile that went off course. Ukraine disputes this.

11/02/2022

Government announces construction of a fence on the border with Kaliningrad, suspecting that Russia will try to force African and Asian immigrants across the border.

09/08/2022

Poland, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania ban Russian tourists from entering their countries beginning 9/19.

06/01/2022

EU releases COVID-19 funds to Poland, which has committed to changes in the judicial system. These include closing the disciplinary committee, which the Polish parliament has done (and will replace with a different group), and also allowing more procedural rights for those involved in disciplinary cases.

05/20/2022

Ruling party agrees on a judicial reform bill that President Duda says will allow the EU to unblock the funds it has been holding and end the daily fines the EU has placed. Among other things, the law will disband the Disciplinary Chamber of the Supreme Court. The EU has said that the government must implement a ruling by the Supreme Court that requires it to disband that body. The legislature could vote on the bill by the end of the month.

04/26/2022

Russia cuts off gas supplies to Poland and Bulgaria after they refuse to pay for the supplies in rubles, though contracts specify that payments are to be made in dollars.

04/26/2022

Poland declares that it will have enough energy from other sources to become independent from Russia.

04/13/2022

Presidents Duda of Poland, Giatanas Nauseda of Lithuania, Egils Levits of Latvia, and Alex Karis of Estonia meet President Zelensky in Kyiv. A request to visit bv German President Steinhauer was rejected, due to what Ukraine considers a hesitant and tepid response to Ukraine’s request for arms and supplies by Germany, and its continued acceptance of Russian oil and gas.

03/30/2022

Poland says it will end import of Russian oil by the end of 2022, having already banned the import of Russian coal. Germany issues a warning about fuel shortages and encourages users to conserve.

03/23/2022

Government announces it will expel 45 Russians who are spies though part of the diplomatic mission. Russia says it will retaliate.

03/15/2022

Leaders of the Czech Republic, Poland, and Slovenia visit Kyiv.

03/10/2022

The Constitutional Tribunal, Poland’s highest court, says the EU Court of Human Rights does not control Polish judiciary, and that Poland is not required to implement the rulings of the ECHR.

03/10/2022

Katalin Novák of Fidesz is elected the first female president by the National Assembly.

03/08/2022

Parliamentary elections to be held 4/3. Orban has walked a delicate line amid the war in Ukraine, supporting EU sanctions against Russia, but unwilling to send arms to Ukraine as other EU countries have done. Poland is heavily dependent on Russian energy supplies.

02/16/2022

European Court of Justice rejects Hungary’s and Poland’s challenge to the rule of EU law over local law, which will allow the EU to withhold funds to countries that violate stated EU norms.

02/01/2022

UK, Poland, and Ukraine join in a mutual defense pact.

12/27/2021

President Duda vetoes media bill aimed at silencing American-owned TV channel.

12/17/2021

Parliament passes law to limit foreign ownership of media companies, a law aimed at Discovery-owned TVN, which has been critical of the government.

12/12/2021

Poland says that it will withhold EU payments and veto EU laws if the EU delays COVID relief funds.

12/02/2021

EU, Poland, Lithuania, and Latvia all attempting to stop Belarus from pushing migrants across their borders.

11/17/2021

Belarus cuts natural gas deliveries to Poland.

11/16/2021

After some migrants throw stones at Polish security forces, the Poles respond with tear gas and water cannons.

11/08/2021

Violence at the border between Belarus and Poland by immigrants Belarus has brought there, escorted by Belarusian military.

10/28/2021

Poland vows not to pay any EU fines.

10/27/2021

EU court imposes €1 million daily fine on Poland over its judicial reforms, such as the disciplinary court that can remove judges.

10/18/2021

Poland moves substantial number of troops to the border with Belarus in an effort to stop migrants from crossing.

10/11/2021

Large pro-EU demonstrations because the government seems to be leaning toward leaving the EU.

10/07/2021

The Constitutional Tribunal rules that Poland’s laws take precedence over EU laws.

09/06/2021

Poland imposes a state of emergency on its border with Belarus to limit immigration and in advance of Russian military maneuvers near its border with Belarus.

08/31/2021

Government asks the president to impose a state of emergency in two places on its border with Belarus to allow it to crack down on irregular border crossings.

07/15/2021

European Commission begins legal action against Hungary and Poland as a result of their laws discriminating against LGBTQ citizens. The process could result in financial penalties.

12/10/2020

EU leaders reach a compromise on stimulus funds that satisfies Hungary and Poland. Though the funds are still tied to rule-of-law guidelines, a country can take the case to the EU court, which can delay the imposition of restrictions substantially.

11/17/2020

Hungary and Poland block EU budget intended to support countries hurt by COVID-19 pandemic, objecting to language that disburses the money to countries that uphold the EU’s rule-of-law standards.

09/18/2020

Two junior members of the ruling coalition leave due to objections to an animal rights law. The remaining parties, lead by Law and Justice will continue to rule as a minority government.

08/20/2020

Foreign minister resigns, the second cabinet member to do so this week.

07/13/2020

Duda re-elected

Election commission reports that Duda won 51% of the vote.

07/12/2020

Exit polls show a race almost tied between Duda and Trzaskowski.

06/26/2020

Early official results give Duda 46% of the vote and Trzaskowski 30%. A runoff will be hl on 7/26.

06/22/2020

Duda facing strong challenge from Warsaw Mayor Rafal Trzaskowki in 6/28 vote for president.

04/29/2020

EU opens legal case against Poland regarding its law that would discipline a judge who criticizes the government’s changes to the judicial system because that law “undermines judicial independence.”

04/23/2020

Government pushing to make 5/10 election entirely by mail, which the postal service protests as unworkable, and creates a special chamber of “extraordinary control” that will certify the elections.

04/23/2020

Government pushing to make 5/10 election entirely by mail, which the postal service protests as unworkable, and creates a special chamber of “extraordinary control” that will certify the elections.

04/23/2020

Government pushing to make 5/10 election entirely by mail, which the postal service protests as unworkable, and creates a special chamber of “extraordinary control” that will certify the elections.

04/23/2020

Government pushing to make 5/10 election entirely by mail, which the postal service protests as unworkable, and creates a special chamber of “extraordinary control” that will certify the elections.

04/08/2020

EU Court of Justice orders Poland to suspend a disciplinary chamber of the Supreme Court that oversees judges, saying it could investigate and punish judges for their rulings. The disciplinary chamber reports to the Law and Justice Party.

03/30/2020

Poland receives €7.4 billion in aid for COVID-19 pandemic, despite censure of judicial reforms.

11/21/2019

Parliament elects two former PiS politicians to its Constitutioal Court, which opposition says is illegal, and is certainly a blow to impartiality.

11/05/2019

European Court of Justice rules that Poland’s lowering of judicial retirement age violate European laws. The government has already amended the law and vows to continue with judicial “structural reform.”

10/12/2019

In legislative elections, Law and Justice appears to increase its plurality.

06/13/2019

US announces it will send additional 1000 troops to Poland, at Poland’s request.

06/06/2019

Government introduces plan to cut personal income tax focused on younger people and retirees and replaces finance minister with a loyalist, in advance of general election in 10/19.

06/06/2019

Government introduces plan to cut personal income tax focused on younger people and retirees and replaces finance minister with a loyalist, in advance of general election in 10/19.

02/22/2019

Tapes are released suggesting that Kacynski was profiting from large real estate agreement.

02/21/2019

President of the European Council and former PM Tusk calls on Poles to form a movement to oust Law and Justice in the election later in 2019.

02/21/2019

Opposition Civic Platform demands explanation of reports that Law and Justice used funds donated to the Red Cross.

01/09/2019

Italian Interior Minister Matteo Salvini meets with Polish Law and Justice Party leader Jaroslaw Kacynski to discuss forming a conservative bloc to increase influence in the EU parliament.

11/23/2018

No-confidence vote in parliament fails. However, scandal involving demands for payment by the head of the financial regulatory commission weaken the PiS. That regulator is replaced. Overall, the popularity of PiS is waning.

11/21/2018

Parliament passes a law reinstating forcibly retired Supreme Court judges, in response to EU demands.

11/04/2018

In local elections, ruling Law and Justice Party wins only 4 of 109 mayoralties but wins nine of sixteen provincial assemblies. Overall, the party gained strength in rural areas and lost strength in urban ones.

10/21/2018

Law and Justice makes little headway in local elections, though it remains the largest party in terms of overall voting in the country. The opposition Civic Coalition retains its hold on mayoralities in large cities.

10/19/2018

EU Court of Justice orders Poland to “immediately suspend” the law requiring the retirement of judges at 65.

09/24/2018

EU files suit against Poland’s judiciary changes with the European Court.

09/12/2018

EU votes to sanction Hungary under Article 7 of the Lisbon Treaty for eroding democracy and failing to uphold European values. The process could lead to Hungary losing its vote in the EU. Hungary vows to challenge the vote and Poland vows block sanctions.

08/09/2018

Kaczynski, having left hospital in June after a long stay, said to be for osteoporosis, has been seen only rarely since, creating some disarray in the Law and Justice Party.

07/27/2018

Substantial protests in Warsaw and elsewhere protesting new judicial law that allows the president to name justices.

07/04/2018

Polish judge Gersdorf defies law requiring her retirement by working in her office without any immediate action by the government.

07/04/2018

Gersdorf defies law requiring her retirement by working in her office without any immediate action by the government.

07/03/2018

Chief Justice of the Supreme Court Malgorzata Gersdorf says she will not accede to the new law by retiring. She will meet with Duda today. The law allows for a judge to stay on past 65 with presidential consent

06/27/2018

EU begins legal action against Poland for Supreme Court law.

06/27/2018

PM Morawiecki moves to decriminalize law about the Holocaust, saying that while he still believes it is right, Poland must take into account the international context. The law has been widely condemned.

06/20/2018

Poland objects to French-German plan for EU, saying that it will create disadvantaged countries under the plan. Poland, for instance, would lost some share of the budget as monies shift to southern countries with high unemployment.

01/29/2018

Pres Duda agrees to review new law that outlaws any suggestion of Polish complicity in the Holocaust after Israel objects.

01/12/2018

Head of the National Council of the Judiciary resigns over the new law.

01/09/2018

After Pres Duda dismisses eight cabinet members, PM Mateusz Morawiecki names new ministers. The change was a gesture to the EU, but judicial law remains unchanged. One surprise change was the removal of the very conservative Defense Minister Antoni Macierewicz, who was considered almost as powerful as PIS leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski. This may have been a deal between Kaczynski and Duda, the removal in return for signing the judicial law.

12/20/2017

Government decides to move ahead with judicial changes even though EU has voted to invoke Article 7 against Poland, revokcfing the country’s right to vote in the European parliament. Poland criticizes the decision.

12/11/2017

Mateusz Marawiecki is elected prime minister.

12/08/2017

Mateusz Morawiecki replaces Beata Szydlo as Poland prime minister.

12/08/2017

Poland Pres. Andrzej Duda vetoes two bills passed by parliament that would charge parliament with selecting 15 of National Council of the Judiciary’s 25 members (formerly all chosen by judges), remove all Supreme Court justices by lowering the age limit, and allow parliament to appoint new judges. The bills had been widely criticized, but Duda’s veto is a surprise.

11/11/2017

Large march of right-wing nationalists in Warsaw.