A half of Warsaw residents believe that the key decisions in Poland and the world are taken in secrecy, reveals a study carried out by sociologists from the Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński University.

The survey for the Rzeczpospolita daily, indicates that the inhabitants of the capital have no confidence in democracy. According to the majority of the respondents, only the selected few are aware of what is going on in the country and is keeping track of domestic developments.

Two-thirds of those surveyed claim that political parties have lost touch with the regular citizens, while 58 percent believe the country needs a new, unaffiliated leader. Such results are not a far cry from Western Europe’s statistics, claims a sociologist quoted by the paper.

Several of Warsaw’s vacant premises will be given a new lease of life this summer, as district authorities will rent out the free space to ngos, writes Życie Warszawy.

Leased at preferential rates, the empty and oft neglected rooms are to become the venues of noncommercial cultural activity. Such solutions are in line with the European practice. “This is important, as non-governmental organizations take over a portion of tasks of municipal institutions, and collaborating, they coexist without limiting one another,” said an artist quoted by the daily.

Dubious practices of travel agencies working for public institutions bringing about losses reaching millions of zloty and tarnishing the reputation of Polish airlines, writes Gazeta Wyborcza.

Some travel agencies working for public institutions forge plane tickets, raising prices by several hundred zloty, or demand fictitious transaction fees, allegedly charged by the carrier. The difference in prices could reach an equivalent of up to 280 euro, the paper reveals. It is known that such practices were also applied to tickets of the Polish carrier LOT and the Czech Airlines. This could be just a tip of the iceberg, claims the Polish chapter of the International Air Transport Association.  (ab)

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