Poland News in English, 15 October 2026 | Expats Poland
Short answer: On 14 October 2026: Maciej Berek took the TK oath in parliament without President Nawrocki; Norway's Kongsberg announced a 200 million zł counter-drone factory in Poland; and Kraków mayor-elect Łukasz Gibała said he will withdraw city patronage of the equality march.
Wednesday 14 October 2026 brought a fresh escalation in Poland's constitutional court standoff, a major Norwegian defence investment, and a controversial first decision by Kraków's newly elected mayor. This brief is based on reporting by the outlets named in the sources below.
Constitutional court: judge sworn in without the president
Maciej Berek, a former minister in Donald Tusk's cabinet whom the prime minister recently called his "right-hand man", took the oath as a judge of the Constitutional Tribunal (TK) on Wednesday morning - at a ceremony organised in parliament, without President Karol Nawrocki present, Notes from Poland reports. Berek declared he was directing the oath towards the president despite his absence.
He is the fifth TK judge elected by parliament to take the oath without presidential approval. Under Polish law a new TK judge swears the oath "before the president", but Nawrocki has refused to swear Berek in, arguing he has not proven the statutory ten years of practice as a legal counsel. Berek says he has provided such evidence.
The ceremony came a day after the Venice Commission, the Council of Europe's advisory body on constitutional law, issued an opinion finding that Poland's president should swear in parliament-chosen TK judges "without delay", has no power to review their election, and that judges are justified in taking the oath without him if he refuses. Nawrocki's spokesman Rafał Leśkiewicz noted the opinion is advisory, not binding.
The four judges sworn in earlier this year remain blocked from the tribunal by chief justice Bogdan Święczkowski, despite a May order from the European Court of Human Rights that they be accepted. Justice minister Waldemar Żurek told Polsat that "the state must do everything to enable these judges to adjudicate", while Nawrocki's chief of staff Zbigniew Bogucki called Wednesday's ceremony "grotesque" and "a sad day for Polish democracy". TVP World reported demonstrators gathered outside the TK headquarters in Warsaw, and Notes from Poland described clashes between police and supporters of the opposition Law and Justice (PiS) party camped outside the court.
Kongsberg to build anti-drone factory in Poland
Norwegian defence group Kongsberg will build a factory in Poland producing counter-drone systems, investing over 200 million zloty (around €46 million) and creating more than 100 long-term jobs, Notes from Poland reports. CEO Eirik Lie announced the project alongside defence minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz at the Warsaw Security Forum, where Norway is this year's partner nation.
The plant follows a January agreement under which Kongsberg and Polish state defence group PGZ will supply a new anti-drone system to Poland. Polish officials have treated counter-drone capability as a priority since around 20 Russian drones violated Polish airspace on a single night in September last year.
The announcement coincided with a declaration signed by the Polish and Norwegian prime ministers, Donald Tusk and Jonas Gahr Støre, on deepening security ties - including joint defence production, strengthening NATO's northern and eastern flanks and continued support for Ukraine.
Kraków mayor-elect withdraws patronage of equality march
In one of his first announcements since winning Sunday's election, Kraków's mayor-elect Łukasz Gibała said he will withdraw official city patronage of the annual LGBT+ equality march, arguing it has become too "partisan", Notes from Poland reports. The decision does not prevent the march - held each May since 2004 - from taking place, but removes city hall's official support.
Gibała, an independent who takes office next week, has attended the march in the past and says he supported same-sex civil partnerships as an MP. He also told Radio Kraków he will continue the city's practice of transcribing foreign same-sex marriages into the civil registry, describing himself as a "legalist" respecting the current legal situation. Digital affairs ministry data reported by the Polish Press Agency show 516 foreign same-sex marriages have been registered in Poland so far, including 46 in Kraków.
Frequently asked questions
### What happened at Poland's Constitutional Tribunal on 14 October 2026?
Maciej Berek took the oath as a TK judge at a ceremony in parliament, without President Nawrocki present - the fifth judge to do so after the president refused to swear them in. The Venice Commission says the president must swear in parliament's picks without delay; the president's camp calls the opinions non-binding.
What is the Kongsberg investment in Poland?
The Norwegian defence firm will spend over 200 million zł (about €46 million) on a Polish factory producing counter-drone systems, creating more than 100 long-term jobs, announced at the Warsaw Security Forum.
Does Kraków's decision ban the equality march?
No. The march can still take place; it loses the city's official patronage. Mayor-elect Gibała says the event has become too partisan, though he has attended it himself and backs same-sex civil partnerships. *Body image: "Poranna mgła nad Wisłą w Krakowie" by Jakub Hałun, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.*
