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Polish Briefing 22 June, 2017 9:00 am   
Editorial staff

Polish Briefing: Cheaper renewable energy sources. Summit in Brussels

What goes in Poland on 22nd of June.

Changes in the judiciary

The government’s proposal for amendments in the National Council of the Judiciary (KRS), include, among others, the cancellation of the current term of the Council’s 15 judges. Their successors are to be elected by the Sejm. Today they are chosen by the judiciary. According to the opposition, the term cannot be cancelled on the basis of a regular act, because that would require an amendment to the constitution. The Ministry of Justice stressed that the Constitutional Tribunal allows for term cancellation provided there are “special circumstances” that justify such a decision. According to the ministry “a comprehensive reform of the Council” is one of them.

Summit in Brussels

The European Council is meeting in Brussels. According to the agenda, heads of states and governments of EU Member States will decide about tightening cooperation in matters like defense, and confirm EU commitment to the Paris Agreement. They will also attend to the most pressing issues, especially migration, security and defense, as well as the economy. Additionally, on Thursday the Council will meet in the EU-27 format to analyze the current state of Brexit negotiations.

Cheaper renewable energy sources

Renewable energy is becoming cheaper. Record low prices offered by green power plants will replace coal with renewables in little over a decade. Renewable energy is getting cheaper than anyone had expected. The drop in coal demand may happen as early as in 2026. Yet, the government maintains that Poland is dependent on coal.

These are the claims presented in a report by the renowned Bloomberg News Energy Finance (BNEF). The report’s facts and figures “may give the PiS government a headache.”

“The Sun will kill coal earlier than we expected,” claims Bloomberg. The report, which forecasts the development of renewable energy by 2040, for the first time ever has so strongly predicted that coal will be replaced with renewables. It will happen thanks to a record drop in the prices of new, green power plants.

MPs about VAT

Members of Parliament who belong to the Parliamentary Team for Supporting Entrepreneurship and Economic Patriotism, representatives of the Finance Ministry and experts will debate in the Sejm on tightening the VAT collection system. The Association of Businessmen and Employers believes this is the key problem of the Polish tax system. Increasing VAT collection is also the Finance Ministry’s priority. The Ministry expects that this year’s VAT revenue will increase to PLN 151 billion.