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Presidential veto, Prime Minister's lightning-fast retort
„Malicious intent or sheer incompetence on the part of President Karol Nawrocki,” Prime Minister Donald Tusk stated on Thursday. „The president’s veto of the so-called wind farm bill strikes a blow to Polish families, industry, energy security, and the overall economy,” remarked Energy Minister Miłosz Motyka. A representative from the government referred to the president’s choice as a „serious error.”
„Ill intent or grave incompetence from President Nawrocki. It may well be a combination of both. His veto will lead to higher electricity costs for all Poles—today and in the future. Early tests: diplomacy and energy policy have failed. The public will bear the burden,” Prime Minister Donald Tusk commented on Thursday.
„President Nawrocki’s veto of the legislation ensuring reduced energy prices is detrimental to Polish families, industry, energy security, and the entire economy. We must leverage the potential of affordable energy resources. The president’s decision contradicts the interests of Polish citizens,” Energy Minister Miłosz Motyka expressed.
The minister also condemned the president’s veto during a press conference.
„Regrettably, President Nawrocki’s veto is an unwise decision. This is a thoroughly comprehensive bill, meticulously prepared, and widely discussed. It is legislation that businesses, local authorities, and the public have all been advocating for,” he stated.
„Furthermore, the president’s assertion that this legislation promotes any foreign interests is baseless. This law ensures low energy costs for citizens and enterprises. The legislation that the president vetoed not only maintained energy prices for the last quarter, for which the president is fully accountable, but also assured that the system would have increased capacity from inexpensive renewable sources. Our analysis indicates that an additional GW of onshore wind farms could result in a reduction of 10 to 20 zlotys per MWh on the bill,” he noted.
Government spokesman: significant error
Adam Szłapka, during a press briefing on Thursday, stated that the president’s decision was misguided. „It is unequivocally a significant error,” the government spokesperson underscored.
In his view, Poland requires an effective wind energy law, and the vetoed bill was precisely that. „The president has made a grave and costly error. However, the Ministry of Climate and the Ministry of Energy will persist. We will devise solutions aimed at facilitating the development of onshore wind energy,” Szłapka declared.
The government representative emphasized that Minister of Climate and Environment Paulina Hennig-Kloska and Minister of Energy Miłosz Motyka have formulated alternative plans. „They will address this during government meetings; they must prepare and communicate these strategies,” he highlighted. „I believe they will unveil solutions in the coming days,” he added.
When President Nawrocki revealed that he had endorsed a legislative draft to freeze electricity prices, Szłapka remarked that it was challenging for him to comment on the president’s statements. „Because after this week, we already know that he is simply exceedingly unreliable,” he asserted.
Presidential veto
President Karol Nawrocki announced on Thursday that he had vetoed an amendment to the so-called wind farm law, which also encompasses provisions for freezing electricity prices until the end of the year.
Nawrocki declared that he would present to the Sejm a bill to freeze energy prices „extracted” from the wind farm legislation.
Read also: The president has made a decision regarding electricity prices and wind turbines >>>
Wind farm law and electricity prices
In early August, the Sejm (lower house of parliament) approved most of the Senate’s amendments to the so-called Wind Farm Act. In addition to provisions that relax investment regulations for onshore wind farms, the amendment freezes electricity prices for households until the end of this year.
This amendment pertains to the Wind Farm Investment Act and certain other laws. The primary aim of the act is to liberalize existing regulations regarding investments in onshore wind farms. The amendment abolishes the 10H rule established in 2016 and sets a minimum distance of 500 meters for new wind turbines from residential structures. Currently, this distance is 700 meters.
In addition to provisions regarding the construction of wind turbines, the act contains a clause introduced during parliamentary discussions that extends the freeze on the net electricity price for households at PLN 500 per MWh until the fourth quarter of 2025. The freeze is currently effective until the end of September.
Minister on a potential presidential veto
Energy Minister Miłosz Motyka previously indicated on TVN24 that if the president vetoes the bill, „it is absolutely on the table” to propose a bill solely focused on freezing energy prices, excluding the wind farm aspect.
„However, we also have a tariff recalculation under
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