The Polish National Foundation to launch its “Fair Courts” campaign abroad

The Polish National Foundation is known in Poland for its “Fair Courts” campaign. It also claims to support Polish athletes and to educate NATO soldiers stationed in Orzysz and Bemowo Piskie about Polish history.

The “Fair Courts” campaign – now over, according to the Foundation's board – provoked controversy due to the lack of transparency about its sponsor and budget, the involvement of a consulting firm founded by former directors of the Chancellery of the President, and the controversial claims it made about Polish courts. The National Council of the Judiciary, referring to allegations against judges and the judiciary system presented in the campaign, criticized the content in 49 points.

In an interview for the Polish Press Agency, Maciej Świrski, vice president of the Foundation, summed up the campaign thus:

“Our message about the courts increased public awareness of the flaws in the existing judiciary system and the need for reform. It was a very successful campaign, and it cost just over 8 million zlotys. Considering its reach, it was very effective and a great success.

In the same interview, the president of the Foundation Cezary Jurkiewicz announced the continuation of the campaign abroad.

“We want our point of view and our message to reach people in Western countries, especially in the United States and in NATO countries,” said Jurkiewicz. Świrski told reporters that a US consulting firm has been hired, and justified the need for a campaign abroad in a rhetorical style characteristic of him.

“In order for our message to be understood not only in Poland, but also abroad, we must use the language and cultural idioms familiar to our audience. This is why we have hired the White House Writers Group in Washington, which will advise us on idiomatic communication. We must make sure that our messages are delivered in a field of meaning that is understood by the audience, in the proper cultural idiom. Most of all, we hope to make the interests of our country and the need for reform understood not only by Poles, but also by our NATO allies, in the United States and the European Union,” explained Świrski.

We have learned that the White House Writers Group (WHWG) will charge $45,000 per month (approximately PLN 164,500), plus “reasonable expenses” not exceeding 10 percent of the fee, for which it must obtain approval from the Foundation. WHWG has already received payment from the Polish National Foundation for three months in advance.

How do we know all this? From publicly available sources. The Foreign Agent Registration Act (FARA) makes it mandatory for any “foreign agent” operating in the United States to be registered.

FARA requires any individual, company or institution that works on behalf of foreigners to register as a “foreign agent”. As soon as WHWG accepted the order from the Polish foundation, it became such a foreign agent under U.S. law. This means that it must disclose all income and expenses resulting from its work commissioned by the Polish National Foundation. The FARA register is public.

In the United States, legislators decided that if foreigners wanted to persuade Americans about something (as is the case with the Polish National Foundation's “Fair Courts” campaign launched abroad), American citizens should be able to find out who it was and how much money was being paid. This is the idea behind FARA.

The law is rigorously obeyed, since any failure to comply with its provisions may result in a penalty of up to 5 years in prison or at least a fine of $10,000.

In these circumstances, the managing director and the only shareholder in WHWG, Clark S. Judge, informed Maciej Świrski in writing that “because the Polish National Foundation is a foreign entity under the FARA Act, (...) the White House Writers Group will almost certainly have to get registered, as required by law, in order to render the services requested.”

Świrski agreed to this American form of transparency, although – asked earlier by Polish journalists for financial information – he argued that the Foundation did not use any public funds and was not required to inform public opinion about the details of its budget.

The contract between the Polish National Foundation and White House Writers Group was signed on 13 October. This fact was recorded in the FARA register on 24 October.

We learn from the documents obtained from the FARA register that the White House Writers Group in Washington is to advise the Polish National Foundation “in relation to [a campaign] to raise public understanding of and support for the five key objectives of the Justice Program, pursued by the Foundation both in the United States and in Europe.”

Therefore, the contract signed with the U.S. company does not directly refer to the “Fair Courts” campaign. Nevertheless, the “Fair Courts” campaign is an element of the “Justice” Social Program, pursued by the Foundation and mentioned in the WHWG contract.

This relation between the campaign and the program is confirmed by a response to parliamentary inquiries issued by the supervisor of the Foundation representing the government, namely, the Minister of Culture and the National Heritage, Piotr Gliński. Gliński mentioned the “Justice” Social Program, which included the “Courts” project as its element.

The “Justice” social program, which is to be implemented in the English language with the help of the consulting firm in Washington, has several components. The contract signed by the Warsaw-based Polish National Foundation with WHWG, headquartered in Washington, lists five objectives of the program, as follows:

1. Build an understanding in the United States, the EU and NATO that the current Polish reforms seek to achieve political honesty through the elimination of endemic corruption in institutions, structures and practices inherited from the Soviet-imposed communist system.

2. Advance Polish demands for fair treatment in international trade within the European Union, including the diversification of energy sources as a priority for Polish national security.

3. Explain that the reform of the judiciary in Poland is crucial for the elimination of corruption, impunity and delays, which make access to justice difficult for thousands of Polish citizens every year. It is also designed to restore the checks and balances, eliminated by the Soviet-style judiciary, which the newly independent Poland inherited over a quarter of a century ago.

4. Support (promote) Poland's position as an equal and sovereign member state in the European Union. Explain that Poland's position on the refugee crisis, which a neighboring country helped to accelerate, reflects the will of the Polish voters, and their rights as citizens of an independent state, and not a vassal state.

5. Correct false narration, which is a threat to Poland's national security and its role in NATO and the EU, about the alleged Polish involvement in the Holocaust, the death camps and other war crimes. The lies spread by active centers of unfriendly neighbors cast a shadow on the reputation of one of the worst victims of the Second World War by equating this country with the worst criminals in history.

The content produced by the Polish National Foundation is to be disseminated in English and to reach government officials, legislators, government agencies, newspapers, publishers and civic associations. Such channels of communication as newspapers, magazines, press releases, mailings, letters and telegrams, social media, websites, brochures and other publications, as well as lectures, are to be used for this purpose.

Judged by Polish standards, the contract signed by the Polish National Foundation and the White House Writers Group would be considered a due diligence agreement. This means that WHWG undertakes to do everything necessary to perform its tasks well, but does not guarantee that the desired objectives will be achieved.

We have been unable to find any information in the documents available in the FARA records about the duration of the contract. However, each party may terminate the agreement at any time. In this case, a fraction of the fee due for the incomplete month is to be paid.

The Polish National Foundation was established last year. To finance its initial capital and its statutory activities, sixteen Treasury-owned companies have so far paid PLN 185 million. The Foundation was established to promote the Polish economy around the world. A month ago, the Foundation changed its charter and goals.

Źródło: tvn24.pl/tłumaczenie Intertext.com.pl