In the spotlight: Paweł Wojciechowski

He named his adviser, Dr Paweł Wojciechowski, as Gilowska's replacement.

The new Minister faces a double challenge. The most pressing fiscal concern is the curbing of the budget deficit, but perhaps more difficult for Wojciechowski will be replicating the calming influence that Gilowska has on the markets and foreign investors. Gilowska was viewed as a stabilizing factor in a government that foreign circles view with suspicion.

Wojciechowski has been the Prime Minister's adviser since March. He majored in Foreign Trade at the Warsaw School of Economics and was awarded scholarships at universities in the US, where he later worked as a lecturer. He speaks five languages in a government that is not known for its multilingual skills.

After returning to Poland he supervised a number of UN programs, but he is no stranger to state administration as he held the position of adviser in a Ministry responsible for privatization under a Democratic Left Alliance (SLD) government. Prior to working in the Prime Minister's Chancellery, Wojciechowski was the president of pension-fund company PTE Allianz Polska. As the Prime Minister underlined, the new Finance Minister will continue on the same path as Gilowska, as he has cooperated with him on matters such as reforming public finances, changes in the tax system and budget drafts for 2007.