Earthquake in Polish Waters. Joanna Kopczyńska dismissed from the position of president

Minister of Infrastructure Dariusz Klimczak has dismissed Joanna Kopczyńska from the position of president of the State Water Management Authority Wody Polskie - MI reported on the ministry's website on Monday.

The Ministry did not provide the reasons for the dismissal of President Joanna Kopczyńska.

Kopczyńska was appointed to this position on January 11, 2024. She replaced Krzysztof Woś, who had been the president of Wody Polskie since August 31, 2022.

The dismissed president previously worked as deputy director for the State Service for the Safety of Dams at the Institute of Meteorology and Water Management – ​​National Research Institute. Before that, she was, among others, chairwoman of the Polish Delegation to the Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission (HELCOM) and chairwoman of the International Commission for the Protection of the Oder River against Pollution. She also held the position of deputy director in the Department of Water Management and Inland Navigation at the Ministry of Maritime Economy and Inland Navigation and director of the Department of Water Management at the Ministry of the Environment. She was also deputy president of Polish Waters for Water Environment Management.

Kopczyńska is a graduate of Eötvös Loránd University in Budapest and the National School of Public Administration in Warsaw. In 2023, she obtained a doctorate in social sciences in the discipline of legal sciences at the University of Gdańsk.

The State Water Management Company Wody Polskie has been the main entity responsible for national water management since 1 January 2018. It employs over 6,600 people throughout Poland.

Polish Waters exercises ownership rights in relation to waters that are the property of the State Treasury, calculates and collects fees for water services, and issues administrative decisions (water-law consents).

Wody Polskie also acts as a regulatory body to protect residents from unjustified price increases for water and sewage services. Directors of regional water management boards approve tariffs for collective water supply and collective sewage disposal, issue opinions on draft regulations for water supply and sewage disposal, and resolve disputes between water and sewage companies and recipients of their services. (PAP)

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