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Poland's new PM Tusk to lay out gov't plans, seek vote of confidence from MPs

12.12.2023 09:30
Poland's newly elected Prime Minister Donald Tusk is set to make a policy speech to parliament on Tuesday morning, followed by a vote of confidence in his Cabinet at 4 p.m.
Polands new Prime Minister Donald Tusk.
Poland's new Prime Minister Donald Tusk.PAP/Paweł Supernak

Tusk will lay out his government plans after MPs chose him as the country's new head of government on Monday night, Polish state news agency PAP reported.

The former top European Union official is set to address parliament at 10 a.m., followed by a floor debate about his policy proposals, and a vote of confidence in the new Cabinet at 4 p.m., according to an official schedule.

Tusk returns to the prime minister's role he held between 2007 and 2014, backed by a coalition of pro-European opposition parties that won Poland's parliamentary election in October.

It ends eight years of rule by the right-wing Law and Justice (PiS) party.

President Andrzej Duda met with Tusk on Monday night and declared he would swear in the new Cabinet at 9 a.m. on Wednesday, according to an aide.

Last week, Tusk said his new Cabinet would implement the raising of the family allowance to PLN 800 (EUR 184), increase teachers' pay by 30 percent and boost the tax-free earnings threshold, the PAP news agency reported. 

He also announced there would be an "audit" of the previous government's policies and staffing decisions.

The new head of government has vowed to unblock billions of euros in grants and loans from the EU, frozen due to Warsaw's dispute with Brussels over democratic standards.

Tusk last Friday unveiled the lineup of his future Cabinet and urged the head of state to appoint his government on December 13, in time for a crucial EU summit starting in Brussels the next day.

He said the summit would make decisions "of great importance to Poland's interests."

EU leaders are expected to discuss the war in Ukraine and protest by Polish haulers at the border with Ukraine, among other topics, according to officials.

Tusk was Poland's prime minister from 2007 to 2014 before becoming president of the European Council, a role he held until 2019.

(pm/gs)

Source: PAPPolsat News