Impuls | With the new Polish president in office, relations with the Czech Republic will remain unchanged

Karol Nawrocki is a historian who made his name as the head of the Institute of National Remembrance. This institution has played an important role in Poland in shaping public debate about history, national identity, and the country’s historical events. Nawrocki is a conservative politician, more of an ideological figure than a power player, and this can be expected of him during his presidential term as well.

During his campaign, he openly supported U.S. President Donald Trump. However, the role of the president in Poland, as in the Czech Republic, is not as strong as in the United States. In my view, the new Polish president will, to some extent, model himself after Trump, but he will not have the ability to fundamentally change policy as is possible in the U.S.

The current Polish government is more pro-European, while President Nawrocki is spoken of as a eurosceptic. Therefore, clashes can be expected along the president–government and president–prime minister lines, since various laws and policies must also pass through the Polish president.

On security issues, however, both the opposition and the government are pulling in the same direction. Poland is well aware of the threat from Russia, which stems from its historical experience. Both the public and the political leadership share the same stance on this matter, and no significant changes are expected in this area with the new president.

Listen to the full interview here.