A setback surfaced as the Senate rejected the amendment to the Committee on Investigating Russian Influence, signaling less interest in refining the legislation into its strongest form and more in stoking political discord. The latest report on Zet radio described the moment when BPM chief Marcin reviewed the situation on Friday.
The Senate adopted a resolution to refuse President Andrzej Duda’s amendment to the law that creates a commission tasked with examining Russian influence on Poland’s security. With this decision, the matter moves to the Sejm, which holds the power to overturn or uphold Senate positions by a simple majority in the presence of at least half of the statutory deputies.
Przydacz, questioned on Zet radio about the Senate’s stance, expressed disappointment that the Senate chose not to advance this proposal. He suggested that the move reflected a focus on introducing political strife rather than improving the bill.
The president’s Office of International Policy indicated that the commission aims for transparency and for removing various Russian influences from Polish politics, asserting that these influences do not serve Poland in unexplained ways.
Historically, there has been broad acknowledgment that Russian influence has played a role in Germany and other regional countries. Critics warn that Poland could be uniquely affected by such influences, especially in recent years when long-term gas contracts were discussed and dialogue with Russia was framed as a pragmatic approach.
Specifically, the head of BPM pointed to these broader dynamics as context for the law’s passage. On May 31, the law establishing a commission to investigate Russian influence on Poland’s internal security for the years 2007-2022 came into force, following the president’s signature and subsequent referral to the Constitutional Tribunal. On June 2, President Duda submitted a draft amendment to the Sejm, which a later session of the House approved in mid-June.
Under the amendment, parliamentarians would be barred from serving on the committee tasked with investigating Russian influence, current countermeasures would be removed, and the contract would emphasize that individuals do not guarantee the proper performance of duties of public interest. Decisions of the commission could be appealed to the Warsaw Court of Appeal.
Opposition reaction
During the Senate debate, Senator Aleksander Pociej (KO) questioned why the president proposed the amendment so soon after the commission’s nomination was approved. Pociej criticized the amendment, arguing that it lacks a clear definition of what constitutes acting under Russian influence and warned that the commission could attribute such actions to anyone.
The committee, Pociej contended, should retain freedom to determine its course. He noted that no shortage of expert testimony or input from the Commissioner for Human Rights had spent the whole process untouched, arguing that the law on the Commission for Investigating Russian Influence does not align with the normal functioning of the state and may clash with democratic norms. He asserted that a parliamentary inquiry would be a more appropriate tool within Poland’s legal framework.
The discussion highlighted a disagreement over whether the proposed amendment would improve governance or undermine it by creating vague standards for influence. The Senate’s stance remains a point of contention that will require further consideration by the Sejm and its committees. [Source attribution: wPolityce]