Poland’s new prime minister, Mateusz Morawiecki, has promised “continuation” rather than change in his first major parliamentary address.
Morawiecki has chosen his predecessor, Beata Szydło, to become one of his deputies, and has made no changes to her cabinet.
Addressing the Sejm, Poland’s lower chamber of parliament, Morawiecki said: “The government is the same as it was and the direction of its activities is the same. The signposts and values are the same so it is a government of continuation.”
He did not repeat his pledge to propose a new cabinet in the coming weeks, which he had promised to do the day before.
The ruling Law and Justice Party (PiS) replaced Szydło for Morawiecki last week in a surprise move which appeared to reflect a desire to change the party’s image.
With a stable majority in parliament, PiS is expected to easily win a vote of confidence for Morawiecki’s cabinet.
Morawiecki did distinguish himself from Szydło in promising to respect a European Court of Justice ruling on Poland’s contested logging in the protected Białowieża forest, which the European Commission argues is in violation of EU law.
