Government under pressure to change the law governing pension funds

"We have finished discussions on this issue. Poland has got until March 2007 to work out the budget deficit statistics according to our definition," announced Eurostat director general Michel Vanden Abeele. Abeele's statement contradicts the statements made by Polish government representatives who claimed that the issue of counting open pension funds assets is undecided. Poland systematically counts contributions to the open pension funds as part of public sector finances. Thanks to that, the budget deficit is decreasing and in 2003 amounted to 3.9% of GDP. However, if the deficit is calculated according to the Eurostat definition it would total 5.5% of GDP. Social Policy Minister Krzysztof Pater stated that the government will continue to conduct detailed talks with Eurostat. (Rzeczpospolita, p. B7) E.B.