Karol NAWROCKI – The Most Pro-American Candidate in This Election

‘When I win the presidential election, I will do everything to make Poland a leader in building relations between the European Union and the United States,’ said one of the favourites in the ongoing presidential race in Poland. On 3 April 2025, during a meeting with the representatives of the American Chamber of Commerce, Karol NAWROCKI spoke about the United States, Poland and the European Union, covering cooperation in the fields of defence, energy (including the construction of a nuclear power plant) and technology.

Karol NAWROCKI on the United States

.The latest pre-election polls suggest that Rafał TRZASKOWSKI, vice-chairman of Poland’s ruling Civic Platform party and mayor of Warsaw, and Karol NAWROCKI, president of the Institute of National Remembrance and civic candidate running with the support of Law and Justice, will meet in the second round of the presidential election. The remaining candidates in the 2025 election, including ten already certified by the National Electoral Commission, hold lower positions.

The Polish presidential election will be held on 18 May (first round) and 1 June (second round). The current president Andrzej Duda will remain in office until 6 August 2025.

The EU’s potential retaliatory LNG tariffs against the US could create a very difficult situation for Poland.

.‘As President of Poland, I will strive to negotiate customs issues directly with the United States as part of our bilateral relations. Such an approach benefits Poland, improves Poles’ quality of life and strengthens Polish-American ties,’ said Karol NAWROCKI, referring to the new tariffs introduced by Donald Trump just hours before the candidate met with the representatives of the American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham).

‘It comes as no surprise, nor should it either for the Polish state or to the European Union. Given the election campaign in the United States and the rhetoric of President Donald Trump, we could have expected that. So, on the one hand, it’s an analysis of what was, and on the other, a call for us to find a solution for our future. […] I’m also convinced that neither additional tariffs nor, even more so, retaliatory tariffs by the EU are good for Poland, and the situation we find ourselves in is a threat to Polish prosperity and the Polish economy – especially if we consider LNG imports. This kind of retaliatory tariff would cause huge problems for Poland,’ stated Karol NAWROCKI and added, ‘If it includes LNG, there will be additional, specific challenges we’ll have to face.’

We are part of the European Union, but it doesn’t mean we can’t have the strongest possible relationship with the United States.

.‘As President of Poland, I will strive to negotiate customs issues directly with the United States as part of our bilateral relations. Such an approach benefits Poland, improves Poles’ quality of life and strengthens Polish-American ties . Of course, I will do all this bearing in mind that we’re part of the EU. I have a duty to serve the Polish state and Polish citizens – that’s why I’m ready to build strong bilateral relations with the United States while respecting the European Union. At the same time, Poland needs to wake up the EU, which is currently in deep chaos,’ said Karol NAWROCKI.

‘Knowing the structure of the EU, I can say that if retaliatory tariffs are introduced, they will not be good for our country. We already hear that the EU is going to speed up the signing of the agreement with Mercosur and will make its next decisions only in the interests of the EU’s largest members: France and Germany. Hence the announcement of the Mercosur agreement and the attempt to sell German cars in South America. But this agreement will cause objective problems for Polish agriculture, meaning objective problems for the Polish state. I’m not a spokesperson for President Donald Trump in this whole geopolitical discussion. I’m speaking from a Polish perspective. But what happened yesterday isn’t good either for the European Union or for Poland, and I’m deeply concerned that the EU retaliatory tariffs will negatively affect the welfare of the Polish state,’ concluded Karol NAWROCKI.

The European Union is in the midst of an identity crisis.

.Karol NAWROCKI also drew attention to the current situation in the European Union. ‘The EU has been in an identity and economic crisis for a long time. It’s been placing itself outside the margins of a certain geopolitical landscape. In the context of yesterday’s decision by President Donald Trump, we must take into account certain actions of the European Union, apart from the migration pact and the climate pact, which we’ll leave aside for the moment. For many years, the EU strengthened the financial potential of the Russian Federation, pulling gas and oil from Russia and investing financial resources there. It was also cooperating with China and sending technology to Beijing. In view of all this, we need to realise that President Donald Trump’s decision – which he proclaimed already in his election campaign – is a response to a certain geopolitical crisis and a crisis of the European Union,’ said Karol NAWROCKI.

‘When I become president, Poland will lead the European Union in relations with the United States.’

.Karol NAWROCKI recalled that from the beginning of his public activities, he has advocated strong Polish-American cooperation. ‘The relations I maintained as Director of the Museum of the Second World War and President of the Institute of National Remembrance focused on cultural policy, the policy of remembrance and building the Polish-American alliance on the foundation of such values as freedom or independence. I also focused on cooperation with many institutions in the United States, such as museums and historical organisations. In addition, I’m an alumnus of the International Visitors Leadership Programme, of which I am very proud,’ he said.

Karol NAWROCKI believes that relations with the United States should be strengthened as soon as possible. ‘First of all, I’m disappointed that in this situation, despite following President Donald Trump’s campaign, we’ve not been able to build bridges between Poland and the United States. I want to assure you that when I become president, I will see Poland as the European Union’s leader in transatlantic relations,’ the presidential candidate said.

We need to strengthen the Tree Seas initiative.

.‘It’s in the interest of the Polish state, both in security and economic terms, to build and strengthen the transatlantic ship and the European Union’s cooperation with the United States. Given the chaos in the EU, Poland must take a leading role in this regard. But we shouldn’t play this role ourselves – other Central European countries should do it with us. I’m talking here, for example, about the Three Seas format, which is very important to me. Unfortunately, we missed our opportunity and failed to take advantage of the Polish Presidency of the EU Council. I’ve talked about this with the Italian Prime Minister, Georgia Meloni, who’s planning to convene such a summit. I think that Poland’s inability to make use of our EU Presidency has cost us a chance to promote EU-US relations,’ noted Karol NAWROCKI.

Karol NAWROCKI on the United States and American investment in Poland.

.‘Today, American investment in Poland is not only a commercial issue but also a reflection of our country’s security. 10,000 American soldiers in our land, contracts for American equipment and joint construction of the arms industry with the involvement of American companies whose names I do not want to mention – these are all things that are obviously necessary for the security of the Polish state and that are in its strategic interest. That’s why I’m concerned by the EU’s tendency to build a NATO-like entity, based on successive resolutions and books that stem from the structures of the EU,’ stressed Karol Nawrocki.

‘For me, developing the North Atlantic Alliance and the arms industry, coupled with American investments in the Polish territory, are a guarantee of our security, although I realise that allies defend only those who can defend themselves. I believe the priority should be to strengthen the capabilities of the Polish Armed Forces, deepen the alliance with the United States and affirm Poland’s credibility and influence within NATO,’ stated the candidate.

Polish-US cooperation in the field of new technologies.

.‘I have also been involved with new technologies for many years. The Institute of National Remembrance, which I head, created the Office of New Technologies using, among other things, American know-how and drawing inspiration from the National WWII Museum in New Orleans. These are the scopes of new technologies in the story of national memory and cultural heritage. In my presidential programme, Plan 21, I am proposing a bill to create a Breakthrough Technology Fund, which will create opportunities in Polish-American relations to invest in the 4.0 technology industry on the territory of the Republic of Poland,’ announced Karol NAWROCKI.

‘As President of Poland, I’m going to continue to monitor this as it’s already a viable bill, prepared to be submitted on 6 August 2025. Another part of my election programme in the field of technology is the use of the powers of the President of the Republic of Poland to reinforce diplomatic missions around the world, especially in the United States, with experts on new technology. One of my key priorities is to foster cooperation between Polish and American technology companies in order to increase our potential,’ said the candidate.

Karol NAWROCKI also reiterated his support for the construction of a nuclear power plant but acknowledged the need to reduce emissions from Poland’s mines until such a plant is built.

The American Chamber of Commerce focuses on business and trade issues, transatlantic relations and sustainable growth. Founded in 1990, the organisation has 350 members from a wide range of business sectors (80 of which are on the prestigious Fortune 500 list). Its primary mission is to support American investment in Poland and to lead efforts to create a growth-oriented business environment.

Karol NAWROCKI has previously commented on the United States on a number of occasions during his election campaign, as we reported on the pages of Wszystko co Najważniejsze.

Marcin Jarzębski