Jarosław Kaczyński told Polish Radio One this morning that the agreements reached during the EU summit in Brussels increased radically Poland’s capability of blocking decisions unfavourable for Poland. PM said that after 2017, Warsaw would have the right to block decisions for a two-year period. He admitted that the post-summit documentation excluded stipulations defining the duration of such blockades, but pointed out that in Brussels, the president had not signed any documents lacking stipulations regarding a two-year blockade.
PM Kaczyński explained that the summit was aimed at discussing issues and that nothing was signed. He ensured that the issue of Poland’s right to impose a two-year blockade was sumbitted on Poland’s behalf in writing by the so-called “Sherpas”, and then, as he said, “it evaporated”.
Nevertheless, Poland would remind the EU of the issue.
The prime minister stressed that the Joaniny agreements gave Poland a lot of negotiating power anyway.
Health Service – no new money this year
On the subject of the health service, Jarosław Kaczyński said that the government could not designate all of the extra funds in the health service budget for next year for salaries this year.
In his opionion, that would force hospitals to incurr more debt and the crisis in health service would continue. He denied any allegatiions that the government prolonged the conflict with doctors and nurses and stressed it was in the Cabinet’s interest to put an end to the crisis.
PM believes that the increase in the health insurance premium proposed by health minister is in fact an increase in taxation charges and increased taxation should only apply to the richest and should be agreed upon in a referenndum.
An increase in the health insurance premium would have a negative impact on the unimployment rate and economic growth, and in effect, it would negatively impact the society and health service.
Head of government believes that a consent to raise doctors’ and nurses’ salaries would lead to a serious financial crisis.