The past 12 months have been a special year for parliamentary diplomacy. On the occasion of the 550th anniversary of the Republic's parliamentarism, the Sejm's foreign partners had the opportunity to learn about this tradition, which is more than half a century old, through a number of international events dedicated to the anniversary. In addition, a session of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly and the EUROWAW2018 summit of presidents of Central and Eastern European parliaments were held in Wiejska Street. The Speaker of the Sejm and members of the Presidium made a number of foreign visits and received distinguished guests.

January

The year began with a meeting between Speaker of the Sejm Marek Kuchcinski and Deputy Speaker Ryszard Terlecki With the delegation of the Parliamentary Group of Friendship with Poland of the Slovak National Council (January 25).

At the end of the month (January 28-29), the Secretaries General of the European Union Parliaments met in Tallinn. The Sejm was represented by Agnieszka Kaczmarska - head of the Sejm Chancellery.

February

One of the highlights of February was the Marek Kuchcinski's visit to Berlin (February 1). The Speaker of the House met with his German counterpart Wolfgang Schäuble. The politicians discussed, among other things, Polish-German parliamentary cooperation, the role of the Weimar Triangle and the future of the European Union.

Also in February, the Speaker of the Sejm went on an official visit to Bratislava (February 19-20). During meetings with the most important politicians of our southern neighbor (Chairman of the National Council Andrej Danko, Prime Minister Robert Fico and President Andrej Kiska), the Speaker of the Sejm discussed, among other things, political, military and economic cooperation between the two countries.

Marshal Kuchcinski, along with Deputy Marshal Terlecki, also participated in the 20th Anniversary Edition of the Carpathian Europe Conference in Przemyśl (February 17).

Head of the Chancellery of the Sejm Agnieszka Kaczmarska took part in a conference of heads of parliament in the Israeli Knesset.

March

March 1 The chairman of the Seimas of Lithuania, Viktoras Pranckietis, spoke at the Polish Sejm. The visit was connected with the celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Rebirth of the Republic of Lithuania. President Pranckietis met with the Speakers of the Seimas and the Senate, as well as Deputy Speakers Beata Mazurek, Ryszard Terlecki and Malgorzata Kidawa-Błońska.

Also in March, the Speaker of the Sejm, along with the Speaker of the Senate, attended the Meeting of the presidents of the Visegrad Group parliaments in Budapest (March 1-2). "Central Europe is becoming the most dynamic part of the entire European Union". -emphasized Marek Kuchcinski during the meeting. The main topic of the summit was strengthening parliamentary cooperation in the EU. Speakers Kuchcinski and Karczewski were honored with the Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of Hungary during their stay in Budapest.

Lithuania celebrated the rebirth of its independence on March 10 and 11. One of the guests at the festivities was the Speaker of the Polish Sejm. "Lithuania's return to the ranks of sovereign states is of great importance to us," Speaker Marek Kuchcinski said at the Lithuanian Seimas.

The Speaker of the Sejm also took part in the 11th Europe-Ukraine Forum in Jasionka near Rzeszów (March 14). Deputy Speaker Beata Mazurek also participated in the event.

On March 22, the Diet adopted the A resolution establishing the Parliamentary Assembly of Poland and Georgia.

April

The most significant event of April was the Conference of EU Parliament Presidents in Tallinn (April 23-24). Poland was represented by the Speakers of the Sejm and Senate, as well as the Head of the Sejm Chancellery, A.Kaczmarska. The Speaker of the Sejm spoke in the debate on the future of the EU. As Marke Kuchcinski said, "Poland recognizes the imperfections and the need for EU reforms." The Speaker added that Poland cares about the success of the Union, because, as he stressed, "for us the balance of membership is favorable."

As part of the 550th anniversary of the Republic's parliamentarism, an international academic conference was held at Warsaw's Royal Castle with the participation of the Speaker of the Sejm and Deputy Speakers Mazurek and Terlecki, as well as the management of the Sejm Chancellery.

May

In May, the Parliament held a spring NATO Parliamentary Assembly session. (May 25-28). This important event was attended by President Andrzej Duda and Alliance Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, among others. The participants reaffirmed the unity of the Alliance in a joint voice and stressed that an attack on one ally is an aggression on the entire organization.

The Speaker of the Sejm made two official visits in May: to the Czech Republic (May 23-24) and to Sweden (May 28). In Prague, he met with, among others, Chairman of the Chamber of Deputies of the Czech Republic Radek Vondráček and Prime Minister Andrej Babiš. The Speaker of the House appealed to his Czech partners to oppose the transfer of EU funds from Eastern Europe to Southern Europe. In Stockholm, Marek Kuchcinski was received by King Carl XVI Gustav. The Speaker of the Sejm also held talks with his counterpart Urban Ahlin.

The Lithuanian parliament adopted a declaration commemorating the May 3 Constitution (May 8).

June

The 6th Polish-Spanish Parliamentary Forum (June 24-25) was held in Santiago de Compostela, Spain. The Sejm was represented by Deputy Speakers of the House Beata Mazurek and Ryszard Terlecki and the head of the Sejm Chancellery.

Confirmation of the good parliamentary relations between Poland and Germany was the second meeting this year between the heads of the two countries' chambers of parliament. Marek Kuchciński and Wolfgang Schäuble this time held talks in Warsaw. Among other things, on deepening parliamentary cooperation and current challenges of the European Union

The Speaker of the Sejm was hosted by the Speaker of the Czech Chamber of Deputies, Radek Vondráček (June 9). The politicians agreed on the need to further develop cooperation between the two parliaments.

In June, members of the Parliamentary Assembly of Poland and Ukraine (June 12) met at the 10th session. Deputy Speaker Terlecki attended the session and emphasized the consistency of Ukraine in its efforts to participate in European structures. Deputy Speaker Mazurek also took part in the meeting.

July

In July, two momentous events took place in Wiejska Street as part of the year-long celebration of the 550th anniversary of Poland's Parliamentarism. Delegations from more than 20 countries came to take part in the EUROWAW2018 Summit of Presidents of Central, Eastern and Southern European States (July 12). "We are united by fundamental issues related to security, infrastructure development and communications, demographic policies or social programs. We are also the Europe of free nations," Speaker Kuchcinski told the meeting participants.

Foreign guests also participated in the solemn National Assembly at the capital's Royal Castle (July 13). MPs, senators and invited representatives of foreign parliaments listened to President Andrzej Duda's address.

The July celebrations also provided an opportunity for the Speaker of the Sejm and deputy speakers to hold a series of bilateral talks.

The Fifth Session of the Parliamentary Assembly of Poland and Moldova was held in Chisinau (July 23-24). The Polish delegation was led by Deputy Speaker Terlecki.

August

At the end of the vacation in Jurata, the following met in a joint session presidencies of the Sejm and the Chamber of Deputies of the Czech Republic (August 29). Among the issues discussed were parliamentary cooperation, infrastructure and communications, as well as the future of the European Union. The Sejm was represented by Sejm Speaker Marek Kuchcinski and Deputy Speakers Barbara Dolniak, Malgorzata Kidawa-Błońska, Beata Mazurek, Ryszard Terlecki and Stanislaw Tyszka.

Ryszard Terlecki met with representatives of the US House of Representatives in the Sejm. The Deputy Speaker stressed that the United States is Poland's most important ally.

September

As usual, at the beginning of September, an event of a scale far beyond Poland's borders was the Economic Forum in Krynica. Its integral part is the Europe of the Carpathians conference, initiated years ago by Marek Kuchcinski (September 5-6).

The Speaker of the Sejm again visited Prague in the Czech Republic, where he took part in celebrations related to the project "sPOLeCZne. Polish-Czech anniversaries 1918-2018" (September 10) The Speaker of the Sejm stressed that the two nations form a community of goals and interests.

In Budapest, in turn, Marek Kuchcinski participated in the ceremony of unveiling a bust of Jozef Pilsudski (September 26). The visit was another opportunity to confirm the ties of friendship linking the two nations.

The Sejm and Senate buildings were also in session. Fifth World Congress of Poles and Poles from Abroad (September 20-22). The guests gathered in the Plenary Hall were welcomed by the Speaker of the Sejm.

October

The informal meeting of the presidents of the Visegrad Group parliaments in Košice, Slovakia (October 13) was one of the most significant events of October. "We see the future of the European Union as a Union of solidarity states, a Europe of homelands as the Holy Father John Paul II said, and therefore a Europe that supports each other in the process of development policy," - Marshal Kuchcinski said after the meeting.

Part of the celebration of the 550th anniversary of Poland's Parliamentarism was the Exhibition at the European Parliament in Strasbourg. The opening was attended by the Speaker of the Sejm (October 3).

In Rzeszow, Marek Kuchcinski opened the International Carpathian Cooperation Forum (October 11).

November

The most significant event of November from the point of view of parliamentary diplomacy was the visit of the Speaker of the Sejm to Georgia (November 5-6). Its main point was Signing of the Statute of the Parliamentary Assembly of Poland and Georgia Together with Irakli Kobakhidze. The delegation also included parliamentarians - members of the assembly and the head of the Sejm Chancellery Agnieszka Kaczmarska. The presidents of both chambers also took part in the grand opening of the Polish Library.

Marek Kuchciński also attended the meeting of the presidents of the parliaments of the Visegrad Group countries in Bratislava (November 15).

The meeting between the Speaker of the Sejm and his Hungarian counterpart László Kövér in Krasiczyn (November 24) was another opportunity to discuss cooperation between the two parliaments and joint V4 activities within the EU.

December

Opening of the exhibition on the occasion of the 550th anniversary of the Parliamentarism of the Republic of Poland was the main point of the Marshal of the Sejm's December visit to Vilnius (December 19). Marek Kuchcinski recalled that in 2019 we will celebrate the 450th anniversary of the Union of Lublin, which is the basis of Polish-Lithuanian fraternal relations centuries ago.

In December, Speaker M.Kuchcinski was also a guest at a ceremonial conference in the Hungarian Parliament dedicated to the 100th anniversary of Poland's regaining independence (December 8). It was prepared on the initiative of Speaker L. Kövér.

sejm.gov.pl

List of foreign visits of the Speaker of the Sejm Mr. Marek Kuchcinski to the Sejm

in 2018

 

Presidents/Prime Ministers:

1. President of the Czech Republic, H.E. Mr. Miloš ZEMAN
2. Prime Minister of Hungary, Mr. Viktor ORBÁN

Ambassadors accredited to Poland:

1. Ambassador of the Kingdom of Spain to Poland - H.E. Mr. Francisco Javier SANABRIA
2. Ambassador of the People's Republic of China - H.E. Mr. Xu JIAN (end of mission)
3. Ambassador of the Republic of Austria - H.E. Mr. Werner ALMHOFER
4. Ambassador of the Kingdom of Sweden - H.E. Mr. Stefan GULLGREN
5. Ambassador of the People's Republic of China, H.E. Mr. Liu GUANGYUAN
6. U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Poland - H.E. Mrs. Georgette MOSBACHER
7. Apostolic Nuncio to the Republic of Poland, H.E. Archbishop Salvatore PENNACCHIO

Ambassadors of Poland accredited abroad:

1. Ambassador - Permanent Representative of the Republic of Poland in Brussels - Mr. Andrzej SADOŚ

Parliamentary level visits:

1. Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies of the Czech Republic, Mr. Radek VONDRÁČEK
2. Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Kingdom of Morocco,
   Mr. Habib EL MALKI
3. President of the State Council of the Republic of Slovenia, Mr. Alojz KOVŠCA
4. President of the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania, Mr. VICTORAS PRANCKIETIS
5. President of the Senate of the Kingdom of Spain, Mr. Pío García-Escudero
   MÁRQUEZ
6. President of the Senate of the French Republic, Mr. Gérard LARCHER
7. President of the Senate of Romania, Mr. Călin POPESCU - TÃRICEANU
8. President of the National Assembly of Hungary, Mr. LÁSZLÓ KÖVÉR

Ministerial level visits:

1. Minister of Defense of the Hellenic Republic, Panagiotis KAMMENOS
2. Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia, Mr. David ZALKALIANI

Other appointments:

1. Mr. Martin FEDOR, Chairman of the Friendship Group with Poland of the National Council of the Slovak Republic