2005 The year in brief: NOVEMBER
New day
Agora, the publisher of Gazeta Wyborcza, launches a new daily, Nowy Dzień (New Day), in an attempt to put pressure on market leader Fakt, which sold on average 513,000 copies over the first three quarters of the year. The introduction of Nowy Dzień is accompanied by a large promotional push. In Q4 2005, Agora plans to spend about zł.30 million on the campaign. (Poland A.M.)
Vote of confidence
Thanks to the votes of LPR, Self-defense, PiS and PSL, the cabinet of Kazimierz Marcinkiewicz is given a vote of confidence, and PiS' minority government is officially formed. Civic Platform decides to become the opposition party and refuses to support the government.
Food fight
Russia bans Polish meat and agricultural imports. The meat embargo is introduced just a day after the new government wins its vote of confidence.
Margin move
Prime Minister Kazimierz Marcinkiewicz asks Orlen and Lotos to cut their margins, to offset the so-called "social effect" of the increase in excise duty on fuels which is set to be implemented in 2006. (Poland A.M.)
EU budget cuts
The United Kingdom prepares a proposal for EU budget cuts in which Poland loses out on as much as EUR 6 (zł.23) billion in Structural Funds between 2007 and 2013. The draft is to be presented at the beginning of December, two weeks before the EU summit.
Pumped up
The management of PKN Orlen launches a new chain of economy gas stations. By the end of the year, stations operating under the Bliska logo are set to number 30, growing to 170 in 2006. The company estimates the cost of the whole project at over zł.700 million. The new brand is designed to save the company's falling market share in the retail sector.
Budget amendment
The government adopts an amendment to the draft budget for 2006 that envisages expenditures of zł.224.7 billion, revenues of zł.194.1 billion and a deficit of almost zł.30.6 billion. The revenues are increased by over zł.2.8 billion. The increase is to be generated by better absorption of EU funds, the new housing construction program and an accelerated program for construction of roads and motorways.(Poland A.M.)
CIA prisons
The Washington Post reports that several countries in Central Europe are taking part in a secret CIA operation transferring alleged members of Al-Qaeda and other terrorist groups. John Stifton, an expert at Human Rights Watch, confirms that he has evidence that planes used by the CIA to transfer prisoners landed in Poland and other Central European countries in 2003. Polish authorities deny that there are secret prisons for alleged terrorists in the country.
