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President Karol Nawrocki has submitted a second request to parliament for a nationwide referendum on whether Poland should continue implementing the European Union’s climate policies, which he argues are too costly. Nawrocki, who is aligned with the right-wing opposition, first proposed a referendum in May. But it was rejected by the Senate, the upper house of parliament, where the more liberal government has a majority.
Senators argued that the proposed referendum question was “absurd”. The president has now submitted a revised proposal featuring a simplified question and again proposed holding the referendum on 27 September this year. pic.twitter.com/G58XdMaRPR — Kancelaria Prezydenta RP (@prezydentpl) July 23, 2026 Nawrocki’s originally proposed question was: “Are you in favour of implementing EU climate policy, which has led to an increase in citizens’ cost of living, energy prices and the cost of running business and agricultural activity?” However, following criticism in the Senate that the question was clearly intended to elicit a specific answer, this time he has proposed a more neutral one: “Are you in favour of Poland implementing the European Union’s climate policy?” “I’m looking for compromises, looking for solutions,” said Nawrocki on Thursday while announcing the new referendum bid.
“The Senate wasn’t satisfied with the [previous] question”, so “we prepared a different one…[that] does not suggest anything”. Voters would be told, for example, that maintaining EU climate policy would result in, among other things, “Poland bearing costs estimated at 3.5 trillion zloty by 2040”, “burdens on agriculture”, “increasing costs for industry” and “obligations for owners of buildings”. By contrast, voting “no” would mean “negotiating exceptions and exemptions for Poland with the relevant EU bodies that will protect Polish industry and citizens from the burde…
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