Prime Minister Donald Tusk could have done more about the gas crisis, writes Gazeta Wyborcza.
Press reviewed by Krystyna Kolosowska
Gazeta Wyborcza criticizes Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk for staying practically silent during the gas crisis. The premier started well. He cut short his skiing holiday and met with Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek to warn him that Russia was turning the crisis into a political affair. But then returned to his holiday and Warsaw became silent. Poland’s energy security, which the government regards as a priority issue, was at stake. Tusk is the most credible Polish politician in Europe. He could have done more but he did not, Gazeta Wyborcza claims.
Speculation continues on the chances of Polish politicians to fill important international posts. Fakt and several other dailies quote the Financial Times that former prime minister, now MEP Jerzy Buzek may be the next head of the European Parliament. Buzek enjoys an excellent reputation thanks to his commitment to what is the future of the European Union: scientific research and efforts to combat climate change, Pawel Swieboda from the Demos Europa Institute tells Dziennik. Structural reforms conducted by his government today are a shining point in the twenty year long balance of achievements of free Poland. Dziennik says, however, that it is very unlikely that other Poles receive an important post this year. The chances of Polish foreign minister Radoslaw Sikorski to become NATO secretary general seem slimmer by the day.
A new portal has been launched to enable Poles to rate the politicians – from parliamentary deputies down to local leaders. Rzeczpospolita says that almost 50,000 people have already been listed. After the first few days of functioning the government has been given the average rating of over 3 on a scale from one to six, and the office of the president received a poor mark.
Polish cinemas are not scared of the crisis, writes Dziennik. Last year, they sold 34 million tickets, a record number since 1989, when communist rule collapsed in Poland. This year, this record is likely to be broken as the biggest players on the cinema market plan to open a dozen new multiplexes. When the economy is slowing down, people go out to look for entertainment, they say. Cinema chains started to invest in medium size and small towns and the move has paid off. Tickets are selling better than ever. Cinema goers were not discouraged by the fact that last year their price went up by 10 percent compared with 2007, says Dziennik.
Zycie Warszawy writes about an ordeal of a young Ugandan woman. Beaten and exhausted, she managed to escape from the hands of criminals, who forced her to work as a prostitute. Sara has now been covered by the interior ministry’s program of support and protection of victims of human trafficking. The La Strada Foundation will give her shelter, medical, psychological and legal aid. According to police figures, in 2007 twenty three persons engaged in human trafficking were detained in Poland. Their victims were mainly women from behind Poland’s eastern border.