New Polish President began his term with a conflict with Tusk: the reason is the airport

The new President of Poland, Karol Nawrocki, has proposed to update the project for the construction of one of Europe's largest airports, rejecting the government's proposals to scale down the project, UNN reports with reference to Bloomberg.

Details

On Thursday, Nawrocki stated that he seeks to force the government to return to the previous version of the airport construction plan, which included high-speed rail connections to a number of smaller Polish cities.

The conflict occurred the day after Nawrocki's inauguration and indicates the tense coexistence of the nationalist state leader, supported by the opposition, and Prime Minister Donald Tusk's pro-European ruling coalition, the publication notes. Nawrocki promised to begin his term with a series of legislative initiatives, some of which will contradict Tusk's program.

Hours before Nawrocki's speech, Tusk stated that the Polish constitution clearly defines that the country is effectively governed by the government, while the president has some influence on defense and foreign policy. He urged Nawrocki "not to interfere" with the work of his cabinet, whose four-year term is already ending.

Addition

Last year, Tusk's cabinet amended the 131 billion zloty ($36 billion) airport project, developed by his nationalist predecessors, by cutting investment in rail transport to ensure sufficient demand for the lines to be built.

The planned airport, which will be located approximately 50 km west of Warsaw, will be able to serve 34 million passengers per year. According to the government's plan, flights are to begin in 2032.