As energy costs continue to rise, Poland’s authorities are reminding citizens that they can search through forests for fuel to heat their houses.
The firewood reminder, according to critics of the country’s populist government, is an indication that it is fumbling the economy.
Inflation in Poland has reached nearly 14%, with gasoline prices reaching over 8 zlotys ($1.87) per liter. Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki’s government blames rising costs on Russia’s war in Ukraine, dubbed “Putinflacja” (or “Putinflation”).
However, critics of Morawiecki’s Law and Justice Party argue that the war is only one aspect of the situation. They claim that the ruling party’s social expenditure initiatives, which include cash handouts to families with children and the elderly, have driven up costs during the last seven years.
Billions in European Union funding may help many people get out of debt, but they are still being held up by a dispute in Poland’s court. Ursula von der Leyen, the head of the EU’s executive arm, was in Warsaw on Thursday to persuade Polish authorities that the money will only come if Poland changes its court.
“I may say that theoretically we are billionaires after yesterday’s visit, but in practice, we will all be collecting brushwood,” Donald Tusk, the leader of the pro-market Civic Platform, remarked on Friday. “Because this appears to be the most recent concept that Law and Justice has planned for all of us to prevent Polish poverty.”
Branches left over from logging in state forests have long been available for purchase by the general population.
Last week, Edward Siarka, the deputy minister of climate and environment, recalled that “collecting branches for fuel is permissible at all times with the approval of the forester.”
Following the commencement of the war in Ukraine and the volatility in the energy markets, he said, more people are inquiring about how to get firewood.
