Marek Kuchciński enters government and takes over as PM's office chief

President Andrzej Duda appointed former Speaker of the Sejm, and current deputy chief of PiS parliamentary club, Marek Kuchciński as Minister - Member of the Council of Ministers. Kuchciński is to take over as Head of the Chancellery of the Prime Minister after Michał Dworczyk, who resigned on September 30.

During the ceremony held in Belweder in Warsaw, president Duda thanked Kuchciński for taking up a new task.

"Minister, in these difficult times, when just like the rest of Europe and rest of the world, we are struggling with a whole range of economic problems, mostly caused by the Russian invasion into Ukraine, when there's so much unrest, so many tough decisions to make for the Council of Ministers, in times when we have to also make so many unpopular decisions, which are never easy for politicians, especially in democratic standards in which we all depend on elections - thank you sincerely for this," Duda said.

In his opinion, "it not only demonstrates determination and readiness to work for Poland, but also courage and a deep sense of mission".

The president also accepted the resignation of Poland's Secretary of State for the European Union, Konrad Szymański, who announced his departure earlier on Wednesday. Duda thanked him for "taking care of difficult European affairs".

"I proposed this to the prime minister and he agreed this could be a good solution for the future. This scenario has been agreed," Szymański told reporters on Wednesday.

Szymański also spoke about the relations between the Polish government and EU institutions. "I'm sure my successor will be carrying out Poland's policy in the EU with the same experience, professionalism and dedication, in line with the country's best interest. On my part, I can declare my full support for the person who will continue this work, because governments change, but there's only one country," he said.