Poland in the OECD

“The global epidemic showed us the true meaning of democratic values vested in the Warsaw Declaration,” said Minister Jacek Czaputowicz during a videoconference of the Governing Council of the Community of Democracies held to mark the 20th anniversary of signing of the Warsaw Declaration.

This year, 2020, the Visegrad Group (V4) marks 20th anniversary of the foundation of the International Visegrad Fund with its seat in Bratislava, the most significant common organisation within the V4 framework. In hindsight, the successful operation of the International Visegrad Fund has proved both the viability of the Visegrad Group as a platform for sharing civic, cultural, scientific, educational and innovative concepts, and the benefit of the V4 as a space of mutual trust where thoughts, opinions and uncharted ideas can be exchanged and multiplicated in a truly frank and open “European” manner.

“Our help for the Western Balkans confirms the importance that we attach to our relations with the region, a region without which it would be difficult to consider the process of uniting Europe as complete,” Deputy Minister Szymon Szynkowski vel Sęk said at a ceremony to launch a humanitarian convoy to six Western Balkan states – Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Kosovo, North Macedonia and Serbia – which took place in Warsaw on 26 May. “’Solidarity’ is the key word to describe the entire development policy underlying the MFA’s humanitarian assistance programmes. For forty years, this word has been a value that Poland is associated with,” Deputy Foreign Minister Paweł Jabłoński said during the meeting. He added: “Poland does not forget about its neighbours and about other states that are in need of help.”

“Today, as we are remembering the 100th birthday anniversary of Pope John Paul II, born Karol Wojtyła, we want to share with the whole world the power of hope which he left for us as his heritage, particularly during these hard times,” said Deputy Minister Szymon Szynkowski vel Sęk as he initiated the programme to commemorate the achievements of St John Paul II and the Pope himself.

Seventy five years after the end of the Second World War, we pay tribute to its victims. We remember the indomitable struggle of the Polish nation against Nazi Germany throughout the conflict in Europe, lasting from September 1939 to May 1945.

Marking the 75th anniversary of the end of the Second World War in 2020, we pay tribute to the victims and to all soldiers who fought to defeat Nazi Germany and put an end to the Holocaust.

Adopted on 3 May 1791 in Warsaw by the Sejm of the Polish Republic (later known as the Great Sejm), the Polish Constitution was Europe’s first and the world’s second modern constitution.

“This extraordinary time calls for extraordinary attitude and actions. Today, more than ever, we need to stay united and help each other,” Deputy Minister Szymon Szynkowski vel Sęk said while thanking the Polish community in the world for their commitment to the Polonia4Neighbours project.

On 10 April 2010, a special TU-154M plane with the President of Poland Lech Kaczyński and the First Lady Maria Kaczyńska on board took off from Warsaw to Smolensk. On that very day the members of the official delegation were to participate in the ceremonies taking place in the Katyn War Cemetery, commemorating the 70th anniversary of the crime committed there. The aircraft carried 96 people, including members of the highest state authorities, representatives of various social circles and religious denominations, high-ranking military commanders and the plane’s crew. All the flight passengers died in the air disaster which took place during landing at the airport near Smolensk.

Due to the state of epidemic, we advise against all travel. However, if you are planning to travel to Poland for important reasons, we would like to remind you that due to COVID-19, controls at the border with Germany, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Lithuania have been temporarily reintroduced. Polish borders can be crossed only at designated points, and the increased traffic has led to longer waiting time at the border. When planning your journey, we urge you to choose less frequented border crossing points, if possible.