The gas crisis and Krakow to host a world gathering of religious leaders.

Press reviewed by Michał Kubicki

The gas crisis is the top story in the news and editorial columns. According to RZECZPOSPOLITA, the crisis has shown a lack of solidarity within the European Union, with each country guided by the motto ‘look out for yourself’, with little regard for the fact that the EU, as a unified body, has much more muscle and legitimacy to make something happen. The lesson for Poland, RZECZPOSPOLITA claims, is to have its own gas sea terminal and launch its own nuclear energy programme instead of talking about ‘EU energy solidarity’.

Former Lithuanian president Vitautas Landsbergis writes in DZIENNIK that Russia clearly wants to drive a wedge between Ukraine and Brussels. The daily also looks back at what it calls the chronicle of failures in attempts to diversify gas supplies to Poland. Despite the efforts of successive Polish governments, sixty percent of these supplies continue to come from Russia.

The tabloid  FAKT says that what Poland needs is security of raw materials deliveries. The current conflict is likely to affect most Poles. The trouble is that Polish politicians have so far done almost nothing to resolve the problem of energy security.

Will Krakow become a Polish Assisi – asks POLSKA in its story about plans by Cardinal Dziwisz to invite religious leaders from around the globe to pray for world peace in Poland on the 70th anniversary of the outbreak of World War II. Some 500 participants are expected to attend joint prayers and discussion panels at Krakow’s Sanctuary of Divine Mercy and the site of the former Nazi German concentration camp of Auschwitz.  The idea of the meeting refers to the Day of Prayers for Peace organized by Pope John Paul II in Assisi in 1986. The Mayor of the Krakow told POLSKA that the religious get-together  would be an excellent opportunity to promote the city on the international scene.

METRO sets the scene for another international meeting in Krakow. Next month, an informal session of NATO defense ministers is to attract some 200 experts and 300 journalists.
In the wake of the economic crisis, Poles spend less on foreign travel. POLSKA has a story on how tour operators are struggling to win clients in the run-up to the summer season. What they offer at the moment are discounts of up to 70 percent for package tours to places such as Egypt and Kenya.

‘Improvisation in Blue’ is the title of the review in ZYCIE WARSZAWY of a concert by Sinfonia Varsovia under Marc Minkowski. It included Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue with Poland’s top jazz pianist Leszek Mozdzer as soloist. After a fabulous performance, he played the final section of the piece again as an encore, enriching it with his incredible improvisation skills.