The Law and Justice’s government maintains that it wishes to build a strong civil society. Contrary to these declarations, this is not reflected in the shape of the newest piece of legislation – an Act on the National Institute of Freedom. The Act on the National Institute of Freedom – Centre for the Development of…
Since October 2016 I have observed that as regards the attitude of the authorities to free society we are moving dangerously close to the path taken by Russia and Hungary. The moment of particular importance was the month-long attack of the public television on civic organisations in which children of persons perceived by the government…
Martyna Bójko (Citizens Network Watchdog Poland): You have just defended your Master’s thesis at the University of Łódź, entitled “Local journalist vs local government – methods of wielding influence”. Was the choice of such subject motivated by your experiences as a local journalist? Are the pressures exerted by local governments on local press significant? Justyna…
2014 The first series of requests concerning Ministers’ schedules was sent by the Citizens Network Watchdog Poland on 1 July 2014. We asked 17 Ministries and the Prime Minister’s Chancellery to provide us with Ministers’ schedules, or at least information about meetings they have taken part in, their dates and participants. We became interested in…
Papers prepared for the European Centre for Not-for-Profit Law to be used during workshop session in Moldova “Implementation of the percentage mechanism: Practice and lessons learned from Central Europe” (September 13, 2016). In case of Poland it specifically concerned Good practices of reaching out to taxpayers in Poland by human rights and watchdog organizations. Learning…
A publication prepared for the Central European University describing the situation as regards fighting corruption in Poland in the years 1997-2015 from the Watchdog Poland’s perspective.
The English version of the short publication presenting the situation of local watchdogs in their local communities, prepared to provide more accurate and goal oriented support for this group of activists, journalists and organizations.
We live ever faster. In a multitude of everyday duties, we frequently lack time to stop and reflect on things around us that do not function very well – in our relationships, in a local community or in our town – and what we can do to make them work better. This is why, as…
The film sums up the systemic project aimed at capacity building o watchdog community in Poland. The project was funded under EEA and Norway Grants in the years 2014-2016 and implemented by Citizens Network Watchdog Poland and partners Homo Faber Association, Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights, Court Watch Poland and Center for Citizenship Education.
This interview took place in March 2016. The name of the journalist is Mariusz Szczygieł. The local activits are the following: Alina Czyżewska, Gorzów Wielkopolski and Monika Bienias, village Czubajowizna, gmina Poświętne.
In 2015 Citizens Network Watchdog Poland, Stefan Batory Foundation, Stanczyk Foundation, Fundacja Wolności [Freedom Foundation], The Institute of Public Affairs and Association 61 undertook a topic that has been vivid since 2005 and which is financing of elections. That time the presidential ones. Article 125 of the Election Code states that financing of the election…
Interview of Tomasz Kwaśniewski with Agnieszka Podgórska and Szymon Osowski for Duży Format (a special supplement to Gazeta Wyborcza). We can share the translation thanks to the kind approval of Gazeta Wyborcza. *** We asked all provincial marshals and governors about the salaries of managers. And while we were at it, we also asked about…
A farmer, a father of four from the Tricity, a resident of the villa town of Milanówek, a high school graduate from Silesia and a Warsaw hipster – although they have never met in real life, they have been changing Poland for six months. And it’s a good idea to join them! We are talking…
Below you will find translation of our Application to the European Court of Human Rights on Violation of article 10 of the Convention on the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, signed on March 29, 2013. Full Application (in Polish). II EXPOSÉ DES FAITS STATEMENT OF FACTS (Voir chapitre II de la note explicative)…
Comments of the Watchdog Poland on provisions pertaining to re-use of public information, submitted during the legislative process We were concerned that the lack of differentiation between dissemination and re-use of public sector information would result in obliged bodies’ arbitrary interpretation of the purpose of requests submitted by the requesters. This would contribute to limiting…
Below you will find translation of our Constitutional Complaint regarding provisions of FOIA that restrict access to information on legislative process. The Complaint in Polish. Polish Freedom of Information Act before 2011’s amendments. The amendments to Freedom of Information Act introduced in 2011. 2nd January 2013 Warsaw Constitutional Court, Warsaw Complaining Party: Association of…
A study prepared by members of the Citizens Network Watchdog Poland for the Institute of Public Affairs on the situation of watchdog organizations in 2012 – Watchdog Organizations – Current Status, Challenges, Prospects.
First data concerning the disbursement of the Solecki Fund for 2010 are available. Even though the data are incomplete, they show the scale of Solecki Fund separation, its real disbursement as well as the amounts of refund from the state budget, which went back to the communes. It seems that the first year with the…
The Citizens Network Watchdog Poland runs a website funduszesoleckie.pl. Its aim is to collect data, run monitoring and support people and institutions, working with Solecki Fund. Solecki Fund has been established by national law, enacted in 2009. It has been dedicated to rural areas. The smallest administrative unit in Poland is called gmina (commune). Auxiliary…
On the 5th of July 2011, Polish government accepted a draft of a new law on access to public information. The reason for updating the existing Act that is 10 years old, was the implementation of the EC Directive on the Re-Use of Public Sector Information. The promise made by the government after almost three…
