Investors alerted by conflict between Poland and American Discovery
22:47
The controversial bill on radio and television is expected to go to the Sejm (the lower chamber of Polish parliament) next week, but regardless of what happens to it, the damage may have already been done, writes Bloomberg, the world's most important financial news agency.
“The populist government of Poland is no stranger to making enemies, be it among judges, migrants, sexual minorities, or the European Union. Its fight against Discovery may be harder for investors to overlook,” Bloomberg started the article.
Next, the journalists of the agency Maciej Onoszko and Wojciech Moskwa described the background of the dispute between the Polish government and Discovery, the owner of TVN. They remind that the government wants to introduce a law that would force the American media concern to sell TVN station. In addition, Bloomberg reminds that there is a real threat that TVN will not extend its broadcasting license in Poland and that our country is to "avoid judgments of the EU courts, with which it disagrees, in breach of the pan-European legal system that has helped it attract around $200 billion in foreign direct investment since joining the Community in 2004.”
According to Bloomberg, all these activities raise questions as to whether in Poland, where the authorities usually encouraged the creation of new jobs, there has been a change in the approach to investors.
"For an investor, the most important thing is legal stability and dialogue," said Krzysztof Krawczyk, who manages the Polish arm of CVC Capital, one of the world's largest private equity funds.
“Investors should be talked to, not treated as enemies. Unfortunately, we often experience it ourselves,” Krawczyk added.
"Transfers from the EU worth billions of euros are potentially at risk, along with Poland's reputation as a place where investors can get a fair trial," Wojciech Kozłowski, partner at the law firm Dentons in Warsaw, added.
