A-Z of EU membership harmonization:Steel mills and coal mines

Poland A.M. is running a series of articles on the A to Z of how EU me mbership will affect Poland and what the country still has to do in order for these sectors to be in harmony with EU standards. The national steel sector will undergo considerable restructuring. In return, with the support of some zl. 3.3 billion from the EU, Polish steel mills will reduce their production capacities by about 10% and cut employment. The production profile will change to concentrate more on so-called flat goods (used in the automotive industry). Thanks to consolidating all the major the steel mills into Polish Steel Mills (PHS) the Sendzimira and Katowice plant will stop competing with each other and realize an integrated development strategy. This should facilitate the privatization process and, by 2006, make the sector profitable. The EU demands in relation to the coal mines are much smaller as in Germany and Great Britain the aid this sector receives from the state is considerable. (Rzczpospolita, Dec. 14-15, p. A3) A.Z.