Until 8 sets
President Karol Nawrocki presented a summary of his fresh decisions on the laws passed by Parliament. He signed 5 laws, 2 vetoed, while 1 sent to the Constitutional Court to examine its compliance with the Constitution before signing a possible.
Among the accepted legal acts was the Metropolitan Act for Pomerania, covering 61 local government units and about 1.6 million inhabitants. The president has besides signed provisions relating to the European Arrest Warrant and regulations concerning the energy sector.
However, the top interest and at the same time the controversy was triggered by the decision to veto the revision of the Education Law adopted in May. The task envisaged changes in the functioning of school statutes, and its most crucial component was the establishment of institutions of the Student Rights Ombudsman.
The Second kid Rights Advocate?
In justifying his position, the president stressed the request to keep stableness in the Polish education system. In his published video, he pointed out that schools should focus on maintaining a advanced level of teaching and strengthening the position of teachers. In his opinion, the creation of further rights for students could negatively affect this process.
The president estimated that the proposed government was not intended to defend student rights more effectively, but to make bureaucracy and introduce ideological solutions. In his opinion, the fresh institution could become a tool based on anonymous reports, exacerbating conflicts in schools alternatively than fostering cooperation between students, teachers and parents.
The president pointed out that erstwhile schools face shortages of staff, underfinancing and the request to improve infrastructure, it is not justified to allocate another million zlotys to the fresh institution. In his opinion, the proposed solution replicates the competences of existing bodies specified as the Ombudsman for the Rights of the kid or representatives of educational curators.
The President's veto sparked a dispute among politicians. The Minister of Education Barbara Nowacka argued that the amendment was to order the rights and duties of students and the rule of disciplinary responsibility. A different conviction was presented by Marcin Józefaciuk, who pointed to the advanced costs of creating a fresh institution. In his opinion, these funds should be allocated to more urgent needs of schools, specified as facilities and staff shortages.
Ships and excise duty
The Amendment of the Educational Law was not the only bill vetoed by the President. He besides objected to the rules on ship contamination prevention. He justified his decision with concerns about the increase in business costs and the deterioration of the competitiveness of Polish ports due to Green Deal assumptions.
In addition, Karol Nawrocki referred to the Constitutional Court a bill amending the provisions on excise duty. The President's reservations concerned, above all, besides short a deadline for entrepreneurs to adapt to fresh regulations. Pending the Court’s ruling, the entry into force of the Act was suspended.
