IMF review cites Poland's 2001 budget as sound but lacking in ambition

Poland has decided to present its budget information to the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Next year's budget data will be examined over the next few months and the final decision about publishing this information on the IMF website belongs to the government. "It is very positive that the budget plan concentrated on the deficit, as in the last year budget. The only negative aspect of Minister Bauc's budget is it is not ambitious," said the IMF representative in Poland Franciszek Rozwadowski. He said the proposed data for 2001 shows the public deficit is lower by 1.1 percentage point over 1999, which is not too ambitious especially since the current account deficit for this year will be between 7-8% GDP. "There can be no crisis with the situation of Poland. Even if something bad happens we have a special fund for members, but Poland will not need it," said the IMF's Central Europe representative Roger Nord. (Rzeczpospolita, page B1) M.M.