CEO bows to government pressure

This is largely due to political pressure to reshuffle personnel in state-owned companies following the recent elections.

Prime Minister Kazimierz Marcinkiewicz has long insisted on Kossowski's resignation, as the leader of Law and Justice (PiS) strongly disapproved of PGNiG's privatization.

Kossowski said the effective management of one of the country's most important enterprises requires a "favorable political climate that allows for taking immediate decisions, which is crucial for Poland's energy safety in the gas sector."

The Treasury controls an 85-percent stake in PGNiG. In Q3 2005 the company's profit was zł.100 million smaller than last year, and amounted to zł.72 million.