Polish president names new head of his security office
President Karol Nawrocki has appointed Bartosz Grodecki as the new head of the National Security Bureau (BBN), after the predecessor stepped down in April amid a legal dispute regarding his security clearance.
The former head of BBN, Slawomir Cenckiewicz, announced his resignation on April 23, after months of legal wrangling to regain access to classified information, which was revoked following the change of government in 2024.
During the nomination ceremony on Friday, Nawrocki congratulated Grodecki and said that national security was a foundation of Poland's growth and welfare.
He said that security also meant building the resilience of Polish society and responsibility towards the country's allies in NATO and other security formats, which is of vital importance in the current political environment.
Nawrocki said that he chose Grodecki to head the BBN also because of his career in diplomacy.
"Diplomatic experience combined with security knowledge is what Poland needs today," he said, adding that Grodecki shared his critical view of solutions comprising the European Union's migration pact.
Grodecki worked for the Polish foreign ministry from 2006 to 2020, holding posts in the United States and Sweden and heading the ministry's consular department. Under the previous government of the socially-conservative Law and Justice (PiS), Grodecki served as deputy interior minister responsible, among others, for migration, repatriation, border policy, and international cooperation.
The BBN reports to the Polish president and serves as his primary advisory body in matters of national security and defence. (PAP)
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