2020-06-12 19:09 update: 2020-06-16, 17:29
President Andrzej Duda. Photo PAP/Maciej Kulczyński
Polish President Andrzej Duda, seeking re-election in the June 28-scheduled vote, said on Friday he is proud that most of his promises made during his presidential election campaign in 2015 have been kept.
One of Duda's commitments was to lower the retirement age, raised by the previous Civic Platform - Polish People's Party (PO-PSL) coalition government to 67 for both sexes and cut down to 65 for men and 60 for women by Law and Justice after taking power in 2015.
During his Friday visits to Zlotoryja and Trzebnica in the Lower Silesia region in southwestern Poland, Duda said that a "constructive" and "responsible policy" of the president, the one he believes he has been pursuing, is necessary for Poland to develop.
In his view, "a wise, peaceful policy for the next five years will strengthen the Polish state and what we have managed to achieve (...) all the good and positive changes that have recently taken place."
He mentioned already operating pro-family schemes such as the ruling United Right camp's flagship 500 Plus programme under which every child in a family receives PLN 500 (EUR 113) every month, which, in his view, hasn't strained the budget in the last four years and Polish families have received the "long deserved money."
At the same time, Duda declared that he was fighting for a modern and prosperous Poland, in which people have a job and earn decent money but also a Poland which has its own tradition, "which it is proud of and which it always defends."
He also said that in the next five years he wants to build "Poland of social market economy" (...) with investments implemented "close to people and for people."
His plan of large strategic investments for the the coming years, such as the construction of a shipping canal through the Vistula Spit or the Central Transportation Port "is of strategic and historical significance (...) that strengthens our sovereignty," Duda said.
He also said that Poland needs to "make good use of the great investment stimulus that the European Union wants to give us," therefore part of its financing will come from the EUR 760 billion aid proposed by the European Commission to help EU economies get back on track after the coronavirus epidemic with "Poland having a chance to become a great beneficiary of these funds."
In his opinion, Poland is becoming a very attractive investment area, including for American companies, "because it is safer here due to the North Atlantic Alliance forces' presence on our territory." He pointed out that Microsoft will invest a billion dollars in the construction of a data centre in Poland, which is the largest technology investment in the country's history.
According to the president, his programme is to help Polish wages grow at an even faster pace. "I want us to achieve as soon as possible the standard of living that of Western countries today," he said.
"Also so that Poles, with their industriousness, their often brilliant ideas, their innovativeness and creative thinking, could build the wealth of our country, rather than emigrate to the West," said Duda pointing to his implemented initiatives of income tax exemption for people under 26 years and the minimum wage increase.
Duda said the family has always been his priority, especially a family which, according to the Polish constitution, forms "the basic community in Polish society, a family with father and mother, a family with motherhood, with parenthood, a family that raises children."
According to Duda, the family requires protection, care and support from the state. On Wednesday he signed a document, dubbed the Family Card, which guarantees continuation of pro-family programmes launched during his presidency, as well as protection of the institution of the Polish family as "a relationship between a woman and a man."
Duda also spoke about the constitutional right of parents to decide how they want to raise their children in accordance with their beliefs and in what spirit they want their children to be educated.
In his opinion, parents should have control over the content passed on to their children so that "no one would force on our children ideologies with which we disagree and aggressively sexualise children, which we as parents do not accept."
Duda also announced maintenance of the existing social programmes for senior citizens, such as the thirteenth monthly pension payment for retirees, free medicines for people over 75 as well as new projects such as dedicated health centres for the elderly.
All this a well-developing Polish state is able to realise, he concluded. (PAP)
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