“I have taken the decision to veto the Approximate Budget Law for 2024, which includes 3 billion PLN for public media. There can be no consent to this in view of the blatant violation of the Constitution and the principles of a democratic state of law. The public media must first be repaired fairly and in accordance with the law”, said Polish President Andrzej Duda.
At the same time, the President announced that after Christmas he would immediately submit his own project to the Sejm, concerning, among other things, pay rises for teachers and other expenditures planned in the Budget Law.
In his opinion, the attempt to finance the public media by means of the law around the budget (by the parliamentary majority) is unacceptable in the current situation. “In my bill, all other budget expenditures, headed by salary increases for teachers, will be preserved”, he announced.
The vetoed budget bill provided, among other things, for 30 % pay rises for teachers, funds for local governments to increase pay for kindergarten teachers, as well as support tools for universities, the Polish State Railways, the mining industry, and the public media.
There was controversy about the record budget for the Prime Minister’s Office, an increase in the amount of the Church Fund and nearly PLN 3 billion for public media.
Following the President’s announcement that he would veto the budget law, Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced that on Wednesday 27 December the government would address the future of the Church Fund and the funding of paediatric oncology.
“I would like to reassure all concerned: the issue of the Church Fund and the transfer of funds from TVP to paediatric oncology will be dealt with this Wednesday at the Council of Ministers”, wrote the head of government.
The subject of the possible abolition of the Church Fund appeared in the election campaign and was supported by politicians from the Left and the Civic Coalition. It is also likely to be supported by Poland 2050.
It should be recalled that the Church Fund was established in 1950 as a form of compensation to the church for properties taken over by the state. The previous government allocated PLN 257 million to the fund in next year’s budget.
Adrian Andrzejewski