Best guess

According to Prime Minister Kazimierz Marcinkiewicz, Poland's economy grew faster in the first quarter of 2006 than the 4.2-percent expansion in the last three months of 2005.

In his speech at a meeting of The Institute of International Finance in Zurich. Marcinkiewicz said that when data for this year's Q1 is revealed, it would show that GDP grew by five percent.

According to experts, Kazimierz Marcinkiewicz's forecast is exceedingly optimistic. Some, like Remigiusz Sopel, an analyst at Internet Brokerage House, say that the prediction is not likely to come true, but add that they understand the government's motives.

"Many things would have to happen simultaneously for such a forecast to become reality," Sopel says. "That concerns currency exchange rates, inflation, budget expenditures and so on. I think that Poland's GDP will probably not reach five percent. Whatever happens, I understand the Prime Minister's behavior as it's common in Europe to bring forth highly optimistic forecasts. It's good for the economy, because such statements are sometimes self-fulfilling prophecies and push the economy forward." (Reuters)