National Remembrance Institute under threat by funding cuts

If the Sejm fails to restore zl. 3 million to the coffers of the National Remembrance Institute (IPN), which was previously reallocated by the Senate, the functioning of the institute will be paralyzed. In a vote over the budget legislation from December 13, the Senate reduced the IPN's subsidy by zl. 3.5 million. Earlier this year the Sejm slashed next-year's IPN expenses by zl. 10 million. As a result, this zl. 13 million loss will force the institute to limit some projects that are already under way - creating delegations, archiving and accessibility to documents, the prosecution of perpetrators of offenses against the nation, and public education (exhibitions, training and conferences). It is still unknown whether the IPN will have to dismiss some of its staff. "'It would be better to liquidate the institute altogether rather than continually plague it to such an extent," said Senator Teresa Liszcz. (Rzeczpospolita, p. A1) A.C.