Anna Wójcik

Adam Bodnar is an international hero for the rule of law. If the government of Poland feels it must expel him, they are abandoning the values they purported to defend.

Poland owes the unblocking of the National Recovery Plan funds and the end of the Article 7 TEU procedure to Bodnar. The country’s accession to the European Public Prosecutor’s Office was a milestone. Bodnar laid the institutional foundations for the further repair of the rule of law.

Koniec epoki ministra Bodnara. Europejskie sukcesy, krajowa krytyka Adamowi Bodnarowi Polska zawdzięcza odblokowanie KPO. Stworzył instytucjonalne podwaliny pod dalszą naprawę wymiaru sprawiedliwości

The Adam Bodnar era as Minister of Justice in Poland exposed all the paradoxes of liberal democracy and how difficult it is to repair a state after years of deliberate erosion of democratic standards and the rule of law.
oko.press/koniec-epoki...

Big government reshuffle in Poland. Donald Tusk has decided that Justice Minister Adam Bodnar's 1.5-year mission to repair the rule of law and improve the efficiency of the courts has come to an end.

In spring, I have summarized main achievements and challenges of the rule of law repair in Poland ⬇️

🇵🇱⚖️Adam Bodnar is out as the Polish Minister of Justice/Prosecutor General, why? First, being a good academic/human rights defender doesn't necessarily make you a good politician; second, you can't please everyone who wants to be pleased; third, timid people aren't suited for savage times. 1/

Komisja Europejska optymistycznie ocenia naprawę praworządności w Polsce Komisja Europejska dostrzega wolę zmian, ale zaznacza, że Polska ma w naprawie praworządności jeszcze wiele do zrobienia.

Komisja Europejska w dorocznym raporcie o stanie praworządności chwali Polskę - niekiedy na wyrost. Zaleca kontynuowanie reformy sądów i wprowadzenie szeroko zakrojonej reformy systemu medialnego. Rząd Tuska ma wiele do zrobienia, a pole manewru może ograniczyć prezydent.
oko.press/komisja-euro...

Our democracies are grounded in the rule of law, the very safeguard of our rights.

But, how is it applied in EU countries?

Today we'll share our findings. Stay tuned for the Annual Rule of Law report ↓

Taking the opportunity of my travel to Warsaw to attend the #WorldJusticeForum2025 to catch up with this excellent - but depressing - overview of the #ruleoflaw state of play in Poland & likely future developments

In Uncertain Waters: The Restoration of the Rule of Law in Poland The victory of Karol Nawrocki, backed by the Law and Justice party (PiS), in the presidential election is set to alter the trajectory of one of the central projects of the coalition government led by…

🇵🇱 "This result underscores the strong polarization of the Polish electorate and is set to profoundly influence the country’s democratic trajectory."

@annawojcik.bsky.social‬ analyzes the outcome of Poland's presidential election and its impact on the restoration of the rule of law:

✍️ In her op-ed, @annawojcik.bsky.social examines the outcome of Poland’s presidential election and explores what the future strategy of the pro-democratic governing coalition must entail. 🇵🇱🗳️

🧑‍💻 Read it now:
👉 tinyurl.com/2nyy2rhp

I wonder what are your predictions for Poland's rule of law repair @jakubjaraczewski.bsky.social @mariaskora.bsky.social @democracytalk.bsky.social @profpech.bsky.social

In Uncertain Waters: The Restoration of the Rule of Law in Poland | Review of Democracy The outcome of Poland’s presidential election has the potential to significantly harm the process of rule of law restoration in the country. In her op-ed Anna Wójcik examines the current situation and...

For the duration of his term, Nawrocki’s five-year presidency will significantly hinder, and may even entirely block, the resolution of the constitutional crisis in which Poland has been mired since a decade - my take for @revdem2020.bsky.social
revdem.ceu.edu/2025/06/11/r...

Spot on: „The message listed all of the crimes allegedly committed by a series of Polish center-right and center-left governments, twisting the record and rewriting the history of the past 30 years into a story of trauma and victimization.” The PiS narrative of decline of Poland in the 1990s-2000s.

The Good Lobby Profs File Rule of Law Complaint Against Slovakia | The Good Lobby Slovakia: The Good Lobby Profs submitted a formal complaint to the EU urging immediate action in response to ongoing democratic backsliding.

Latest action from @goodlobbyprofs.bsky.social: In short, we lodged a complaint with @ec.europa.eu under the Conditionality Regulation requesting the activation of this instrument in relation to the deliberate & systemic deterioration of the #ruleoflaw in Slovakia
www.thegoodlobby.eu/the-good-lob...

The Polish paradox:
- Poles are most enthusiastic about European Union membership when it comes to thinking the EU will help them face the future
- 51% voted for a candidate who will prevent Poland playing its full role in the EU.

Personally, I like the persona of Tusk. But for a big chunk of voters he’s responsible for a decads when they or their parents’ lives were miserable.

I work on democracy and the rule of law but I have grown up and live in Poland so the answer is not culture but capitalism.

And, of course, under 40 year-olds unfulfilled ambitions, being tired of trying to make it in Poland, limited social mobility, rising class divide/inequalities, cost of living crisis - the Polish variant of capitalism.

It was also due to the current governing coalition’s healthcare contribution reform, it’s misguided housing policy, courting big business with deregulation, etc.

It was about fear of granting Tusk total power a la PiS in 2015-2023. And this fear is fuelled by right-wing and far-right narratives on immigration, LGBT, women’s social position, Ukrainians in Poland, etc.

Disagree. This election was, once again, about disdain for Tusk and elites. And on the other hand, about dissilusionment of progressives and no strong vision.

The rule of law in Poland Transition 2.0 chapter 1 has been closed. We are in the new era. Tune in at 11:30 a.m. (registration link in the @epc-official.bsky.social post).

A long wait for the National Electoral Commission’s conference on Monday.
*smiles in Polish*

Join us!
➡️ Monday, Jun 02, 2025, 11:30-12:30

➡️ Registration: lnkd.in/euyeCTbf

The result of Polish presidential election will hinge on how different voter groups mobilize.

The night from Sunday into Monday will certainly be dramatic.

On June 2nd, we’ll be discussing the results at the @epc-official.bsky.social with Eric Maurice, Maria Skóra and Melchior Szczepanik.

📣 Join us on Monday for the online Elections Monitor organised by the @epc-official.bsky.social and hosted by @ericmaurice.bsky.social to discuss #Poland 🇵🇱

With @annawojcik.bsky.social, Melchior Szczepanik and yours truly.

➡️ Monday, Jun 2, 11:30-12:30

➡️ Registration: www.epc.eu/events/after...

EU is set to approve shifting Poland’s post-Covid funds to defense Warsaw wants to use around €6 billion in EU money to build shelters and roads for tanks.

“The European Commission is set to approve Poland’s request to shift almost €6 billion in EU post-Covid funding from green projects to defense, one EU and one Polish government official told POLITICO.”

www.politico.eu/article/eu-p...

Our cover this week
@economist.com

Trump is losing his war on democracy Trump’s power grabs are dangerous. But he’s going about them all wrong — and facing effective resistance as a result.

I've spent years reporting on how democracies die. And I've noticed something: by international standards, Donald Trump is really, really bad at destroying a democracy.

And that should give us real reason for hope. www.vox.com/politics/410...

The crowd at the conference on the role of civil society in the rule of law defense, organized in Warsaw by the Ministry of Justice as part of the Polish EU Presidency.