EU membership may help liberalize telecoms market, but not immediately

Telecommunication market analysts estimate that customers will only benefit after Poland joins the EU, as consumers rights protection will improve and prices of services are not likely to go up. "The prices will be affected by the growing competition on the market, but it will take years before foreign companies decide to invest here. The same applies to EU directives aiming at fostering liberalization of the telecommunications market," said Andrzej Piotrowski, an analyst with the Adam Smith Center. According to other specialists, the prices of some of the services are already so high that there is no possibility of raising them. They also think that in breaking the monopoly on the telecommunication market and creating a competitive market, Poland should use the experience of other EU states, which had similar problems in the past. (www.onet.pl) M.M. Premier looses his cool in Rywin Commission and bursts out against PiS Premier Miller testifying for a second day before the Rywin Commission reiterated that he had played no part in an alleged attempt to solicit a bribe from top newspaper publisher Agora and accused the right-wing opposition of exploiting the scandal for political gain. "The affair has been used for political reasons to discredit me and my party," Miller snapped in response to tough questioning from right-wing deputy Zbigniew Ziobro, a vocal government opponent. Miller lost his nerve during the seven hour questioning, and told Law and Justice (PiS) Deputy Ziobro, he was a "zero". The Prime Minister, looking tense after a confident opening appearance on Saturday, said he had not acted because, "The whole thing appeared absurd to me then". (Gazeta Wyborcza, p. 1; Rzeczpospolita, p. A1; Reuters) A.K.