Poles have a limited knowledge of the European Parliament elections, a new American coffeehouse a place to see and be seen in Warsaw and happy 52nd birthday to Poland’s PM.

Press reviewed by Danuta Isler

“Elections? What elections?” asks on its front page the broadsheet Gazeta Wyborcza daily publishing the results of a poll by TNS OBOP commissioned by Warsaw’s Institute of Public Affairs. According to the data, with the European Parliament elections taking place on 7 June half of the Polish society does not know how the process works! Fifty-two percent of Poles said members of the EP are elected in general elections, 19 percent of respondents said “hard to say”, the same number indicated they are elected from among current members of Poland’s Parliament, eight percent said they are appointed by the government while two percent – by the president. What is the government’s response to that? Mikolaj Dowgielewicz, from the Committee for European Integration, says a campaign will be launched soon showing Poles how their lives are influenced by the EP. This will be accompanied by a report summing up five year’s of Poland’s EU membership.

“Highway-like product” is the front-page headline of Dziennik which writes about Poland’s inability to efficiently build a motorway system in Poland. According to the daily, the government has basically given up on their goal of having a solid network of motorways built in the country in time for the EURO 2012 championships. Instead it has resorted to simply making existing roads more passable. These roads will not have rest stops, gas stations, overpasses for pedestrians, barriers or really anything that a proper highway should have – writes the paper .

“How to become a member of the elite?” wonders the same newspaper suggesting that all you need to do in Warsaw is to go to the Starbucks coffeehouse on the capital’s  main street – Nowy Świat. Opened barely two weeks ago the place has already reached a cult status confirmed by both its baristas and customers – writes Dziennik. The article is accompanied by a photograph of the coffeehouse filled with young people and interviews with several of them. A 15-year-old high school student admits this is the place “to see and be seen”. A 23-year-old Warsaw University student says “McDonalds is for the masses Starbucks is for the upper class”.

The tabloid Fakt wishes Prime Minister Donald Tusk all the best today on his 52nd birthday presenting a list of wishes for the PM from ordinary Poles. The wish list includes miracles in the economy, increase of pensions, a system of highways and Poland looking as good as the one from the ruling Civic Platform’s election spots.  Super Express tabloid publishes unknown photographs of the late pope John Paul II. They present the late pontiff mostly on vacation in an informal uniform and surrounded by what he loved most – nature.