Polish president seeks more power over courts in judiciary reform

In the week that EU leaders agreed on a sixth round of sanctions against Russia, Polish Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs Pawel Jablonski speaks to FRANCE 24 about the effect he hopes the measures will have on the Russian economy, his disappointment at the Hungarian government's stance regarding sanctions and the latest developments in Poland's rule of law dispute with the European Commission.

Since the start of the war in Ukraine, over 7 million people have fled the country. Multiple reports have outlined the specific difficulties that African refugees faced as they attempted to cross the Polish border and enter the European Union. Georgina Robertson and Sophie Samaille take a look at a Facebook post falsely claiming that refugees from Africa were shot at by Polish police.

European Council President Charles Michel said EU leaders agreed to cooperate on energy after a long day of talks. However, a consensus was not reached on capping gas prices.

Several hundred people gathered to protest remarks that blamed young women for Poland's low birthrate. The Women's Strike movement has frequently protested attacks on women's rights.

The EU is engulfed in a corruption scandal amid allegations that Qatar bribed European politicians to sway policy. European Parliament Vice-President Eva Kaili is among those arrested by Belgian police.

Member states in the European Union want to act more independently in international politics, an idea supported by the United States. But that's easier said than done.

Judges in Luxembourg have ruled that employers cannot terminate contracts based on a person's sexual orientation. The European Court of Justice said a Polish court had made the wrong decision.

The International Olympic Committee are making plans to reintegrate Russia and Belarussian athletes. Polish sports minister Kamil Bortniczuk has claimed that up to 40 countries could boycott the 2024 Olympics in protest.

A big step up in requests for asylum last year has put one of the EU's touchiest issues, migration, back in the limelight. One idea is to leverage visa, aid and trade policy to get third countries to take back deportees.

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki sat down with FRANCE 24’s Marc Perelman at the Munich Security Conference to talk about the war in Ukraine and US President Joe Biden’s upcoming visit to Poland to mark the one-year anniversary of the Russian invasion.

Although there is currently no shale gas production in Europe, Polish energy experts say it could easily be brought back to the table to alleviate the European energy crisis.

An unindentified flying object, likely an observation balloon, entered Poland's airspace from the direction of Belarus, the Polish Defense Ministry said. A search for the object was underway.