In an interview, a PiS member of the European Parliament recalled how RARS had faced opposition attacks in the past and credited the work of former RARS President Michał Kuczmierowski for building up the agency’s resources, which today help flood victims. He stressed that the state must move quickly in times of crisis. Two days earlier, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Public Administration announced on X that the resources of the State Agency for Strategic Reserves had been activated to support relief efforts. RARS was created by the United Right government and was led by Michał Kuczmierowski, who faced prosecution by the Bodnar-led Prosecutor’s Office. Now the current government coalition benefits from the procedures developed by the previous administration to respond swiftly to crises.
The Government Agency for Strategic Reserves was established between 2020 and 2021, replacing the Material Reserves Agency, which had been created in 1996. The mission of RARS is to secure strategic stocks of food, medical and technical products, and fuel supplies, not only in peacetime but especially in the event of armed conflict, threats to public health, natural disasters, or other crisis situations. The agency is responsible for collecting and supervising strategic reserves and fuel, as well as their cyclical replacement and maintenance.
The agency has emphasized its role in crisis response, noting that it builds inventories that allow rapid assistance to citizens when emergencies arise. The idea that RARS resources can be employed today is tied to the prior team’s focus on securing the right supplies for use by the state and its institutions in need.
A former official from the Prime Minister’s Chancellery recalled that RARS was created around the turn of 2020–2021 with a purpose-built legal framework designed for emergencies. The period saw a pandemic, followed by a hybrid conflict on the border with Belarus and a war in Ukraine. In those circumstances, RARS supported many front-line hospitals and institutions operating under difficult conditions.
It is remembered that RARS faced sharp criticism from the political opposition at the time, which characterized its work with populist rhetoric. During a hybrid border crisis, services such as the fire brigade, police, border guards, and even the army turned to RARS to obtain necessary equipment. The procurement procedures in force at that moment were strained by the emergency, and RARS helped outfit officers serving at the border. A former Deputy Minister of National Defense recalled this period and the critical role of the agency.
There is acknowledgment that the exact timing of RARS resource activation during the floods in southern Poland is not clear, but the public expectation remains: crisis situations unfold quickly, and decision-making must be as short as possible. Delays and bureaucratic hesitation can hinder effective response in fast-moving crises.
A recent Law and Justice politician underscored the need for rapid action in disaster response and highlighted the broader lesson that crisis management demands swift decisions and clear procedures. The broader point is that stockpiling and rapid provisioning can support hospitals, local governments, and other frontline state institutions during extreme events.