The Interim Poland Price Index

EUWorkers economic growth and other societal changes have benefited segments of the population. These gains have helped to fuel a widening divide between liberal, pro-European parties and those that purport to defend national interests and traditional Polish Catholic values. The nationalist Law and Justice (PiS) party seized power in late 2015, and since then has enacted numerous measures that critics say undermine democracy and erode economic progress.

Nevertheless, professional forecasters recently raised their expectations for Polish inflation in 2025 to 4.3 percent from 4 percent. The country’s central bank and government are trying to reassure citizens that low prices won’t last forever.

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In a recent video, Economy Minister Kazimierz Kaczynski and PKN Orlen chief executive Piotr Kasprzyk both urge Poles to avoid panic buying on the assumption that prices will rise. Kaczynski said the government was doing all it could to keep the price of petrol and diesel affordable, including importing more crude oil.

Poland’s legal system is generally well-developed and provides adequate protections to defendants. Nonetheless, some features of the criminal justice system raise concerns of political manipulation and misuse, such as allowing extended pretrial detention and a large backlog of cases. The PiS government’s decision to merge the roles of justice minister and prosecutor general increases the potential for such abuses, according to a Venice Commission report. It also creates the risk that rulings in infringement proceedings will be politicized. Moreover, the Polish Constitutional Tribunal has ruled that penalties imposed by the European Court of Justice before a case is decided are inconsistent with the nation’s constitution.