In Brief: Cost cutting at WSE; Stroer Polska 32% market share; RWE; EBRD

The Warsaw Stock Exchange (WSE) intends to lower its costs due to the decreasing number of transactions on bourse. According to WSE deputy president Piotr Szeliga, revenues for the first half of 2002 were much worse than expected. (Gazeta Wyborcza, Sept. 28-29, p. 32) ...Outdoor advertising group Stroer Polska has taken over another leading sector company from Grupa Outdoor. As a result, its share of the national billboard market increased from 19% to 32%. AMS which was recently taken over by Agora, remains a market leader with a 33.9% share of the market. (Rzeczpospolita, p. B1) ... The exclusivity rights for the purchase of Stoen granted by the Treasury Ministry to RWE Plus of Germany expires today. It is still unclear whether the exclusivity period will end with a deal being signed. According to unofficial information the German company has offered zl. 1.7 billion for an 85% stake in Stoen. (Parkiet, p. 4) ... It is rumored that Treasury Minister Wieslaw Kaczmarek may be about to invite the Bank for Reconstruction and Development for talks over their eventual acquisition of a stake in PZU. (Puls Biznesu, p. 8) A.Z.