Deputy Foreign Minister Paweł Jabłoński shared clarifying points about the visa issue on Polsat News, while also addressing statements from Paweł Zalewski, who participates in the program as a member of the Third Way party.
The key facts are straightforward. In 2022 Poland spent 73,000 PLN on issuing all Schengen visas for visitors from every country. In the same period, Germany issued 800,000 Schengen visas, France issued 400,000, Italy 600,000, and Spain 900,000. The scale sharply contrasts with Poland’s figure. The difference is significant enough to highlight a major gap in visa issuance, a point Jabłoński emphasized during the discussion.
He stated that the numbers reveal a stark gap between Poland’s visa activity and that of other Schengen states, underscoring a concern about the relative scale of visa processing. The deputy minister also challenged Zalewski on foreign policy and security matters, noting the responsibility of the opposition for various policy choices in previous years. Jabłoński described defense planning and organizational changes that occurred under the prior government, indicating structural reforms and reductions in various units within the Polish security infrastructure, including some police stations.
“People remember how you ruled and what you did,” Jabłoński asserted, linking past governance to present policy positions. The deputy minister pointed to a controversial border project with Belarus, recalling opposition views that called for not only halting the construction of a dam but also reconsidering or altering it in light of security and regional stability concerns. He argued that during the election campaign, Zalewski presents himself as a proponent of Poland’s security even though past positions and actions otherwise reflected a different stance.
The exchange touched on broader accountability for governance history, with Jabłoński noting that Zalewski is now with a different political formation, the Third Way. The deputy minister commented that party changes do not erase the record of governance, and he emphasized that the public would remember the decisions taken during that period. The discussion continued to focus on how political leadership translates into current security and visa policy, and the implications for Poland’s relations with the broader European area.
The dialogue on visa policy and security was reported to have been highlighted by Polsat News, with additional commentary and responses circulating on social media. The exchange underscored the ongoing debate over how visa issuance scales across Europe, and how domestic political narratives frame national security objectives in the context of international cooperation. Readers are invited to consider the implications of past governance on present policy, especially in relation to border security and the management of visa flows. The account is attributed to coverage from wPolityce, and reflects the ongoing scrutiny of political leaders and their positions on security and international engagement [Source: wPolityce].