Poland News in English, 13 October 2026
Short answer: On 13 October 2026 Polish media reported Warsaw is ready to block the EU 2028-2034 budget over ETS revenue, a third arrest over a Starlink site fire, and an RCB alert for eastern Poland.
Three stories shaped the Polish news cycle on Tuesday, 13 October 2026: a dispute over how the European Union should fund its next budget, new arrests linked to a fire at a Starlink site near Warsaw, and a government alert connected to Russian air strikes on Ukraine. This brief is based on reports from Polish and international outlets, which are named below. Where a story rests on unnamed sources, we say so.
Poland threatens to block the EU budget over emissions-trading money
Polish broadcaster RMF FM reported on Tuesday morning that Warsaw is ready to block the European Union's budget for 2028-2034 if part of it is financed with money from the EU emissions trading system (ETS). The report relies on conversations with unnamed Polish diplomats and government sources, so it is not an official government statement.
According to the reports, the European Commission wants 30 percent of the revenue that member states earn from selling CO2 emission allowances to flow into the common EU budget. The Commission estimates this would add on average 9.6 billion euros a year to the budget over 2028-2034. Rzeczpospolita's energy section says Poland earns about 3.8 billion euros a year from emissions trading and would have to pay over 1.1 billion euros of it into the EU budget. RMF FM puts the figure at about 1.14 billion euros a year.
Ireland, which currently holds the rotating EU presidency, proposed that countries using the Modernisation Fund, which supports energy transition, reach the 30 percent share gradually. RMF FM reports that this also does not satisfy Poland. One senior Polish diplomat told the station: "We are against. Full stop."
Two procedural points matter. Putting ETS money into the EU budget requires unanimity among member states, which in practice gives Poland a veto. It would also need ratification by the Polish parliament and a signature from President Karol Nawrocki, who has argued that the EU should begin leaving the ETS. The Polish news agency PAP reported on 11 October that Deputy Foreign Minister Ignacy Niemczycki said Poland still has the largest allocation in the proposed 2028-2034 budget but that an alternative to the ETS proposal is needed. The topic is expected on the agenda of an EU summit in Brussels later this week, and no final decisions are expected at this stage.
For people living in Poland, the practical effect is not immediate. The budget covers 2028-2034, and the discussion concerns electricity prices only indirectly: the reports note that ETS costs are estimated to make up around 16 percent of the price of electricity on a household bill.
Arrests over the Starlink site fire near Grodzisk Mazowiecki
RMF FM reported that two Turkish nationals suspected of setting fire to a Starlink base near Grodzisk Mazowiecki, in the Masovian region, were detained in Germany on Monday at the request of Polish investigators. They are suspected of sabotage carried out on behalf of foreign intelligence. Reuters, citing RMF FM, reported on Tuesday that German police have detained a third person in connection with the September fire.
RMF FM's reporter says that a police patrol had checked the two men's documents about 10 kilometres from the site several hours after the fire and let them go, because at that moment it was not yet clear that the fire was arson. The record of that check later helped investigators reconstruct their route. According to the station, the men entered Poland through Świecko, travelled to Łódź, where a woman detained in Berlin was due to meet them, and were identified from vehicle and phone-location data. These details come from RMF FM's own sources and have not been confirmed by prosecutors in the reports we reviewed.
Government security alert during a Russian air attack on Ukraine
The Government Security Centre (RCB) sent an alert on 13 October to mobile phone users in the Podkarpackie and Lubelskie voivodeships about a Russian air attack on Ukraine. The text said the situation was being monitored and that Polish aircraft were operating in Polish airspace. A follow-up message said the attack on Ukraine had ended and that there was no threat to Poland. The alerts were published on the RCB page of the Polish government portal.
If you live in eastern Poland and receive such an alert, the RCB messages are the official source. Check gov.pl/rcb rather than social media.
Frequently asked questions
Is Poland really going to veto the EU budget?
Not yet. RMF FM reported, citing unnamed sources, that Warsaw is ready to block the 2028-2034 budget if ETS revenue is used to fund it. No official decision has been announced, and the topic is expected at an EU summit later this week.
What is the ETS?
The EU emissions trading system sells allowances for carbon dioxide emissions. Member states currently keep the revenue from selling them. The Commission wants 30 percent of that revenue to go to the common EU budget.
Where do official security alerts for Poland come from?
The Government Security Centre (RCB) sends text alerts to phones in affected areas and publishes them on its page at gov.pl.
