Issue 12/2025, News
President of Wody Polskie dismissed. Her successor has already been named
Jul
Joanna Kopczyńska, president of PGW Wody Polskie, was dismissed from her position yesterday by the Minister of Infrastructure, Dariusz Klimczak. Does the decision have a direct connection with the ministry’s announced plans for a deep reform of the water management sector in Poland? Kopczyńska will be replaced by Mateusz Balcerowicz.
What is the role of Wody Polskie?
The State Water Holding Wody Polskie was established on January 1, 2018, and employs over 6,600 people nationwide. It is the principal body responsible for water management, including drought and flood protection, water quality, and collecting fees for water services. Its responsibilities also include the development and maintenance of hydrotechnical infrastructure.
Joanna Kopczyńska assumed the role of president of PGW Wody Polskie on January 11, 2024. Previously, she served as deputy director for the State Service for the Safety of Damming Structures at IMGW-PIB and was chair of the Polish Delegation to the Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission (HELCOM), as well as chair of the International Commission for the Protection of the Oder River Against Pollution. She also worked at the now-defunct Ministry of Maritime Economy and Inland Navigation and at the Ministry of the Environment.
Is Wody Polskie facing liquidation?
Is the dismissal of president Kopczyńska the first step toward the restructuring of Poland’s water sector, as announced by the Ministry of Infrastructure? As early as September last year, Minister Dariusz Klimczak announced that Wody Polskie was in for a major reform, although at the time he ruled out the possibility of its complete dissolution.
However, at the end of June this year, media speculation arose that liquidation was on the table. Deputy Minister of Infrastructure Przemysław Koperski, while announcing the conclusion of a three-month advisory team’s work, suggested that it was time to close the chapter related to this institution. In an interview with Dziennik Zachodni, the deputy minister cited the words of Professor Irena Lipowicz, who called Wody Polskie a bureaucratic, non-European behemoth. Deputy Minister of Funds and Regional Policy Jacek Karnowski also joined the criticism, stating that Wody Polskie’s extensive administrative procedures delayed the implementation of important investments.
Resignation at the top, while rivers are rising
The sudden dismissal of president Kopczyńska caused a stir in national media. Gazeta.pl called the decision an earthquake at Wody Polskie and recalled speculations about holding those responsible for last year’s flood accountable. President Kopczyńska’s actions at the time were widely criticized by the media. She was accused, among other things, of inadequate maintenance of flood protection infrastructure and poor operational decisions during the disaster.
Some media outlets link the dismissal to the approaching Genoa low, which, as reported yesterday, is expected to bring severe storms and heavy rainfall. In the Podkarpacie region, people are already talking about a weather catastrophe – the storms that passed through the area required more than 1,200 interventions by the Fire Department. The latest numerical forecasts from IMGW-PIB suggest that rainfall totals in mountainous and foothill areas may reach up to 200 mm, creating a risk of river swelling and local flooding.
However, in an interview with TVN24 this morning, Minister Dariusz Klimczak denied that the decision to dismiss Kopczyńska had anything to do with weather-related events.
We have been analyzing the functioning of Wody Polskie from the very beginning. It is a centralized behemoth, and my task was to reform it. For several months now, an expert team has been working and providing recommendations. In this regard, we differed with the president. The difference in our visions seems too great, so I decided to dismiss her. Our views on the operation and future of Wody Polskie are far apart, so I have to appoint someone else, said Dariusz Klimczak, announcing that Mateusz Balcerowicz will take over the role of president later today. He is well prepared for this role and will assume responsibilities smoothly, the minister added.
main photo: www.gov.pl
