A press conference in front of the National Bank of Poland drew attention to the ongoing debate over Poland’s currency and its place in European integration. Members of the ruling party, Ryszard Czarnecki and Karol Karski, argued firmly for preserving the Polish zloty as the nation’s central monetary symbol and cautioned against moving toward adopting the euro. Prof. Karol Karski pointed to the experiences of neighboring countries, suggesting that euro adoption has not delivered the promised benefits and has created new economic and sovereignty-related tensions for some states.
Czarnecki stressed that maintaining a national currency is a clear expression of sovereignty and independence, noting that there is no compelling reason to abandon the zloty at this time. He highlighted the centenary of the zloty as a milestone worth honoring, not erasing, in the journey of the Polish economy.
“A country’s own currency underpins its autonomy,” remarked MEP Czarnecki, who also mentioned that a majority of Poles prefer to retain the zloty over switching to the euro.
The conference framed its discussions around defending the zloty and opposing Poland’s entry into the eurozone. Polls cited by the speakers indicated that about four in five Poles did not favor eurozone membership, a sentiment they described as practical and rooted in common sense. The speakers argued that Western European experiences with the euro show challenges that Poland should study carefully before making any changes.
– added Czarnecki.
In the following remarks, Karol Karski argued that the euro represents a shift that could undermine national sovereignty, and he recalled warnings from the broad European political leadership in the early stages of the euro’s introduction. He cited earlier comments by Jacques Santer, the former president of the European Commission, who in 1999 described the moment as a turning point away from a nation-state framework toward broader continental governance. Karski suggested that Poland has not yet exhausted all of its own policy options and should proceed with caution, recognizing that sovereignty is a fundamental consideration for any member state.
“Europe’s currency project carries risks that must be weighed against benefits,” said Karski, who also argued that the euro’s early adoption period brought price pressures, particularly impacting lower-income households. He cited examples from neighboring Poland’s border region and explained how euro-related price dynamics affected everyday life for many residents, emphasizing the uneven distribution of costs and the importance of safeguarding national economic buffers.
On the broader question of economic alignment, Karski stressed that several countries that joined the euro area have faced economic turbulence, underlining that the euro introduction should not be treated as a simplistic path to prosperity. He pointed to neighboring Lithuania, which adopted the euro in 2015, to illustrate how currency integration can interact with cross-border consumer trends and price levels in ways that may not always benefit all citizens equally. The argument centered on preserving the zloty as a stabilizing anchor for Poland’s economic policy while continuing to monitor the evolving European framework.
Both speakers asserted that they are not only defending a currency, but also advocating prudent economic governance that serves ordinary Polish families. They emphasized the need for informed public dialogue about the costs and benefits of joining the eurozone, and they called for policies that prioritize national resilience, competitive pricing, and fiscal responsibility as critical to Poland’s future prosperity.
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Source: wPolityce