Marek Kuchciński, Speaker of the Sejm, met with grantees of the Lane Kirkland Program. The Polish-American Freedom Foundation Program, administered by the Education for Democracy Foundation, has existed since 2000. The Program was implemented in the first edition by the Department of East European Studies at the University of Warsaw. The participants were grant holders from Eastern Europe studying the problems of economic, social and political transition at several universities in Warsaw. The scholarship lasts 9,5 months and starts with the orientation-preparatory programme. It gives the students an opportunity to get acquainted with the Polish language, familiarize themselves with our realities, as well as integrate with students from other countries, differing in education and views.
Eastern Europe is the part of the world to which Marshal Kuchciński pays special attention. In his opinion, Western European countries disregard the conflict in Ukraine, but we are able to draw conclusions from history. The state should care about good relations with its neighbors, about having predictable neighbors. It is a good idea to create an international brigade, with common military units, a coalition of countries formed against aggression.
When asked about his work for the Carpathian Europe, the Marshal pointed to the water problem. Two thirds of Poland is covered by the basin of the Vistula, a river that has its source in the Carpathians. It is the duty of the government to support ecology in this area, because drinking water has a chance to become a strategic resource, comparable to gas or oil.
Another issue was migration security. The Speaker of the Sejm emphasized the influx not of refugees but of immigrants precisely, including a large number of young men. Being in the European Union, he said, we must take on the obligations arising from the ill-considered decisions of other EU members, especially Germany.
There was also a question about the Constitutional Tribunal. According to Kuchciński, the Constitutional Tribunal elected by the Sejm cannot be represented by the opposition blocking the work of the government.
The Marshal also drew attention to the insufficient support for the Eastern Partnership. Over the past few years, the five countries belonging to the EaP have received financial support equal to the amount received annually by a single Turkey. According to Kuchciński, it is the Eastern Partnership countries, not Turkey, that should be included in the EU and NATO.
