Donald Tusk holds three-hour motivational meeting with Civic Coalition MPs ahead of election year

Meeting format

Prime Minister Donald Tusk gathered nearly all Civic Coalition (KO) deputies in government for a closed-door meeting at Warsaw's Mercure Grand hotel on Wednesday. The session lasted almost three hours and followed a set routine: Tusk opened with a speech, then MPs posed questions and made statements, and the premier responded.

These meetings are motivational in nature, and this one was no different.

Deputy Education Minister Katarzyna Lubnauer was one of the few participants willing to speak to journalists afterwards. She added that such gatherings also give MPs a chance to voice their opinions.

Election year mobilisation

Several attendees described the meeting as a rallying exercise ahead of what they called a very important election year. No polls are due in the immediate weeks, but the ruling camp is already shifting focus toward campaigning.

An extremely important election year lies ahead. We had many very good discussions, and above all we are mobilising – that is the most important thing.

Sport Minister Jakub Rutnicki used the word "mobilising" to capture the mood inside the room. Other MPs confirmed that the atmosphere was future-oriented, with little appetite for examining past controversies.

South Hospital scandal raised

The scandal surrounding the South Hospital (Szpital Południowy) did surface during the talks, but it was not the primary focus. Lawmaker Witold Zembaczyński emphasised this point to reporters.

This was not a meeting to look backwards; it was a meeting for the future.

Lubnauer acknowledged anger over what happened at the South Hospital and at many other hospitals. She expressed support for the proposals put forward by Jolanta Sobierańska-Grenda, describing them as good and vowing that they would be implemented.

Attendance and logistics

Practically all KO MPs serving in the government attended the meeting, according to Lubnauer. Some ministers from outside the party caucus were also present, though Finance and Economy Minister Andrzej Domański arrived only near the very end of the session. Tusk himself avoided the press entirely, leaving the hotel through a rear exit.