On target for growth
Poland's budget deficit will come in below target this year, and falls in the stubborn unemployment rate will hasten, due to healthy economic growth, according to Prime Minister Belka.
"This year is one of fast economic growth, a very good situation for companies and rising interest in Poland as a location for investment," Belka, who was once a finance minister himself, said at a news conference while summing up his year in office.
Belka said that the government sector deficit in 2005 should work out to around 3.6-3.7 percent of GDP, lower than the 3.9 percent planned in its eurozone entry program. The PM pointed to ever-increasing inflows of foreign investment, which reached $7.86 (zł.2516) billion last year, as the remedy for unemployment. Poland's rate of 19.3 percent unemployment is the worst in the EU.
"For greenfield investments, 2004 was probably the best since [the 1989 switch to market economy]," said Belka. "The number of jobs is growing and unemployment is slowly dropping, and we expect that the next few months will see these trends speed up." (Reuters)
Andrew Kureth
"This year is one of fast economic growth, a very good situation for companies and rising interest in Poland as a location for investment," Belka, who was once a finance minister himself, said at a news conference while summing up his year in office.
Belka said that the government sector deficit in 2005 should work out to around 3.6-3.7 percent of GDP, lower than the 3.9 percent planned in its eurozone entry program. The PM pointed to ever-increasing inflows of foreign investment, which reached $7.86 (zł.2516) billion last year, as the remedy for unemployment. Poland's rate of 19.3 percent unemployment is the worst in the EU.
"For greenfield investments, 2004 was probably the best since [the 1989 switch to market economy]," said Belka. "The number of jobs is growing and unemployment is slowly dropping, and we expect that the next few months will see these trends speed up." (Reuters)
Andrew Kureth
