Poland

As Karol Nawrocki assumes office as president, subtle shifts reshape the Polish political landscape in the wake of the election. In the new study summarized here Przemysław Sadura and Sławomir Sierakowski explore the potential collapse of the long-standing KO-PiS duopoly and its replacement by a new duopoly on the horizon.

After PiS' victory at the presidential election run-off in Poland, Prime Minister Donald Tusk called for and survived a confidence vote on 11 June 2025. What’s next for the country’s governing coalition, at a critical moment for Europe’s climate, democracy, and security agenda? Roderick Kefferpütz asked Urszula Zielińska, Green Vice-Minister for Climate and Environment, what the result means for the future of the ruling coalition, the Greens’ priorities in the months ahead and Poland’s role in the EU.

Karol Nawrocki of the Law and Justice party (PiS) narrowly won Poland’s presidential run-off—dealing a serious blow to Donald Tusk’s pro-European coalition government. What does this mean for Polish politics, the EU, and the balance of power in Warsaw? In this Böll·Europe Podcast episode we focus on the run-off of the presidential election in Poland, which took place on Sunday 1 June 2025. Our guest is Maciej Makulski, Head of Europe and International Politics at the Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung's Warsaw office.

It’s never all doom and gloom. Even when political developments feel heavy and the broader context darkens, light still finds a way through. Over the past weeks, we’ve seen some encouraging signs.

Following the change of government in 2023, Poland once again faces a historic crossroads. An emotionally charged election campaign reflects deep social divisions – and the struggle for the country's future.

Security is right at the heart of the Polish EU Council Presidency’s programme. In light of the geopolitical context, the challenges are tremendous. The EU’s defence industrial base needs to be strengthened, and a joint approach on military procurement as well as a sustainable financing solution must be developed. This online discussion analysed the current state of play, explore key areas of contention and discuss potential paths forward, as well as take stock of the Polish EU Council Presidency’s efforts. With: Sophia Besch, Łukasz Maślanka, Nicole Koenig and Roderick Kefferpütz.

After a rocky 2024, electoral prospects look bleak for members of the European Green Party. However, with at least seven national parliamentary and 10 head-of-state elections, as well as dozens of local and regional elections in 16 countries, there is plenty of opportunity for a Green surprise. This article reviews the 2025 electoral prospects for European Green Party members in Europe.  

Poland takes on the EU Council Presidency in January 2025. What does this role mean, and what challenges lie ahead? Our latest article explores the key context and what to expect during this pivotal six-month period.

Poland is in the midst of a political marathon, having already experienced groundbreaking parliamentary and local elections. Former Prime Minister Donald Tusk's coalition has returned to power, but the nation remains politically divided. The upcoming EU elections, featuring high-ranking ministers, set the stage to the presidential elections in 2025.

In the upcoming European Parliament elections, Poland is torn between two diverging views of its current trajectory. These understandings depend on its citizens' sense of identity, their visions of the future and the role the country should play on the continent. The key choice may be the place of the far right in Polish society.  

With right-authoritarian forces on the one hand and liberal-progressive ones on the other, elections in 2024 will be fought in several major democracies, including in the European Union. Focussing on the latter, this article explores the electoral chances of the European Green Party (EGP) members, an umbrella organization for environmentalist-progressive forces.

These days it is easy to become pessimistic about social cohesion and the state of democracy. But the results of the recent Polish elections show that it pays to fight for democracy.

On April 19, 1943, Jews condemned to death in the Warsaw Ghetto rose up in an unprecedented heroic struggle against the German occupation. The commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the ghetto uprising is approaching. Joanna Maria Stolarek, director of the Warsaw office of the Heinrich Böll Foundation spoke with Zygmunt Stępiński, director of the POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews in Warsaw about the commemoration, the nature of remembrance, and the universal message that the uprising and its commemoration bring. Wersja polska.

2023 promises to be a crucial electoral year in Europe as voters elect new national leaders in several major countries, including Turkey, Poland and Spain. This article explores the role of the European Green Party (EGP) members in these elections.

On February 24, Russia started the war in Ukraine. Nothing will be the same again. Russia's brutal attack made the ongoing conflict around energy resources all the more obvious. This article analyses what options Poland has to break its energy dependence on Russia.

Since the start of Russia's war against Ukraine on 24 February 2022, three and a half million people have fled the country. A conversation with Tineke Strik MEP on the triggering of the EU Temporary Protection Directive and what chances and challenges come with it.

Gendered disinformation is a form of identity-based disinformation that threatens human rights worldwide. It undermines the digital and political rights, as well as the safety and security, of its targets. Ellen Judson from Demos explains what gendered disinformation is, how it impacts individuals and societies, and the challenges in combating it, drawing on case studies from Poland and the UK. It assesses how the UK and EU are responding to gendered disinformation, and sets out a plan of action for governments, platforms, media and civil society.

Modern-day authoritarians will boil you like a frog, whilst slowly turning up the heat. As a citizen of a democratic state, governed by the rule of law, you won’t suddenly wake up one day to find yourself in an authoritarian regime. It will creep up on you. Hiding behind empty slogans such as “regaining national sovereignty” and “national pride”.

It was 28th April 1986, early morning in Poland. The radiation monitoring station in Mikołajki, Mazury area (north-eastern region of Poland) showed that the radioactivity in the air was 550,000 times higher than the day before. The radioactive cloud from Chernobyl had travelled to Poland. The story of the catastrophe began here.

The Polish Government plans for a new Common Agriculture Policy seeks a compromise between the supporters of the intensification of agricultural production in the name of the paradigm of economic competitiveness, and the voices demanding that it reflects newer, environmental realities.