NO. 26 WWW.KRAKOWPOST.COM NOVEMBER 1-NOVEMBER 7, 2007 WEEKLY November of memory: Poland remembers those who passed EU Blue Card for skilled workers The EU’s need for 20 mln highly qualified employees in the next two decades has been widely reported. The proposed Blue Card may be the answer 2 Ombudsman tackles WWII compensation The 1996 provision granting monetary compensation for those transported during World War II is now being questioned by the Ombudsman 3 Chechen refugees flee to Europe Chechen refugees flee Western Europe in search of a safer life. Many encounter unexpectedly tough immigration procedures 6 Polish Germans few points at polls Polish Germans have suffered the worst election result of any mi- The beginning of November in Poland is always marked with the lights of candles nority in the nation since 1991 7 burning in graveyards. The lights commemorate deceased relatives and friends. Urszula Ciolkiewicz “I celebrate All Saints’ Day every year,” Polish airports soon STAFF JOURNALIST says Beata Paradysz, a psychology student from Warsaw. “I visit the graves of my to float their shares The beginning of November in Poland family as well as the graves of the great is always marked with the lights of candles and famous Poles at the Powazki Ceme- The state-owned airport group burning in graveyards. tery. This is an unusual time, when you can Panstwowe Porty Lotnicze (PPL) The first and second day of this month is pause during the everyday fuss and rush will be restructured as a limited the time when Poles stream to the cemeter- and think about the sense and direction of ies to decorate the graves with flowers and your life. Moreover, I just like the look of company. Full commercialization to light the flames. The lights commemo- the lighted graveyards in the evening.” is expected within a year 8 rate deceased relatives and friends. The Festival of All Saints (All Saints’ Day) is a feast celebrated in honor of all the saints, known and unknown. In the Roman Catholic Church, Nov. 1 is the day which recalls those who have attained eternal joy in heaven, while the next day commemo- rates the departed faithful who have not yet been purified and reached heaven. Nov. 2 is known as All Souls’ Day. Few Poles remember that this feast has pre-Christian, pagan roots. This day was celebrated as early as before the birth of house of entertainment Christ by Slavs and Celts. All Souls’ Day in Poland commemo- the best entertainment in Krakow rates the pagan festival called “Dziady,” described in the famous work of Adam piano bar Mickiewicz, the Polish Romantic poet. live-music sessions Slavic ancestors prayed for those who bring card – get prize couldn’t find the way to Nawia, mythologi- cal land of the dead. In Tyrol, cakes are left HOTEL NOVOTEL, ul. Armii Krajowej 11 on the table for the dead and the room kept Tel.: +48 (0) 12 636-0807 warm for their comfort. In Bolivia there is See MEMORY on Page 9 2 The Krakow Post POLAND NOVEMBER 1-NOVEMBER 7, 2007 R E G I O N A L N E W S Poland denies Russian hackers down web Blue Card for skilled and site of Ukrainian president Russian nationalists claimed early this will accept week to have hacked into and disabled the official web site of Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko in a retaliation cyber willing to work in the EU Russian meat attack. A group called the Eurasian Youth Union, whose leader is banned from inspectors Ukraine for having vandalized Ukrainian national symbols, said it had acted because its own web site had come under attack by AgENCE FRANCE-PRESSE Ukrainian authorities. Attacks against Yushchenko’s web site Poland denied late last week reports – www.president.gov.ua – began on Sun- that it had agreed to give access to Rus- day and were continuing on Tuesday, the sian meat inspectors, a move that could president’s press office said, without iden- have ended a bilateral dispute holding tifying the suspected hackers. up a key EU-Russia trade deal. The press office said it had registered “The position of Poland concerning the embargo imposed by the Russian 18,000 separate cyber attacks against the Federation on Polish food goods has web site coming from Britain, Israel, Ka- not changed,” Polish Foreign Minister zakhstan, Russia, Ukraine and the U.S. Anna Fotyga said in a statement. “Yushchenko’s official web site will not “Concerning products affected by work unless Kyiv stops its attacks against the embargo, we demand an uncondi- the official web site of the Eurasian Youth tional and total lifting of this embargo group,” the group said in a statement quot- without delay. Only a lifting will allow ed by Interfax news agency. Leaders of the possible checks by Russian veterinary Eurasian Youth group were banned from services in firms affected by the em- traveling to Ukraine earlier this year after bargo,” she said. they claimed to have vandalized Ukrainian Earlier in the week Russian news national symbols on a mountain in the west agencies cited Sergei Yastrzhembsky, of the country. (AFP) the Kremlin official in charge of EU re- lations, as saying at an EU-Russia sum- Deputy Czech PM to sue mit in Portugal that Poland had agreed over corruption allegations to Russian inspections. “It’s a positive signal and I think Czech Deputy Prime Minister Jiri Cunek that we can start this important work, announced early this week that he would these inspections, in November,” Yastr- sue the country’s public broadcaster over a zhembsky had been quoted as saying. program that accused him of receiving large Since November last year, Poland sums of money while on state benefit. has blocked the start of talks between “Criminal proceedings will be launched the EU and Russia to renew a 10-year- against this program,” Cunek’s Christian old partnership and cooperation agree- Democrat Party announced on its Internet ment (PCA) in retaliation against Rus- page. Monday night’s edition of Czech Tele- sia’s decision to ban the import of meat from Poland in 2005. vision’s investigative program “Reporteri Liberal and pro-business opposition CT” related to money Cunek is alleged to The administrative capital of South Africa, Central Pretoria. leader Donald Tusk’s victory in Polish have received in the late 1990s, before his parliamentary elections on Sunday has time as a politician. Michal Wojtas granted a permanent resident’s card auto- some countries – most probably great Brit- raised hopes of a possible breakthrough At the time he was receiving state ben- STAFF JOURNALIST matically after getting a job offer with pay ain, Ireland and Denmark – will oppose the in the dispute after he signalled closer efit. The sum quoted in the program related at least three times higher than the mini- Blue Card project. relations with Brussels and Moscow. to 3.5 mln koruna (130,170 euro, $188,300) The EU’s need for 20 mln highly quali- mum wage of the country. He or she could The Polish job market already has suf- A source close to the European Com- deposited in various bank accounts. fied employees in the next two decades has bring along immediate family and after two fered from what can be called a “brain mission said of Yastrzhembsky’s com- In an interview that appeared in Tuesday’s been widely reported. years seek work throughout the EU. drain” to the UK, germany and Holland, ments: “This can be considered as a edition of the left-wing daily, Pravo, Cunek The worker shortage in the common Another condition, however, is that the where salaries are much higher. In the infor- first step, a sign of detente,” although said he only claimed child support benefit to market has prompted the European Parlia- job vacancy could not be filled by an EU mation technology and engineering sectors, “this does not solve the problem.” which his family was entitled. ment to propose a solution to the European citizen. Polish wages are now close to the European Alexei Alexeyenko, spokesman for It is not the first time that Cunek, the re- Commission. The new law would harmonize immigra- average as companies fight for workers. the Russian state veterinary service, gional development minister, has faced cor- It’s called Blue Card (named after the tion rules in the 27 countries of the EU and And Polish entrepreneurs, as well as their said the decision was “expected” and ruption allegations. color of the EU flag) and is based on a high- attract the skilled people from developing colleagues from other EU countries, will that he hoped the issue “will no longer Police accused him of having accepted a ly successful American immigration pro- countries who now usually choose jobs in warmly welcome any law that might bring be political.” bribe of half a mln koruna from a building gram for highly educated professionals that the U.S. and Canada because of their liberal skilled computer specialists from Eastern The agreement is seen as particularly firm when he was mayor of the eastern town has attracted people around the world to the immigration plans. and Southern Asia or Africa. important in the EU because it will in- of Vsetin in 2002. U.S. labor market for the last two decades. The draft filed by the European Parlia- For those regions, the intensification of clude provisions for energy relations as Although the authorities closed the inves- According to the Blue Card draft, an ment does not go as far as the North Ameri- the global fight for employees may have the EU increases its reliance on Russian oil and gas imports.