The week's events covered in Poland A.M.
ECONOMICS
According to preliminary estimates, the value of leased assets exceeded zł.10 billion in 2003, which is a 30 percent increase from last year. Sector representatives believe that the result was caused by falling interest rates and the improving financial standing of exporters.
In early 2003 official projections of privatization revenues were placed at zł. 9 billion. However, the State Treasury only managed to collect just over zł.4 billion. The largest deal of the year was the sale of a stake in TPSA which raised zł.1.6 billion.
Economy Minister Jerzy Hausner met with Democratic Left Alliance members in Katowice as part of his attempts to get social approval for his budget cuts. He also declared that the government will reduce expenditure on official phone calls and cars by 15 percent, and limit the number of political advisers in Ministries.
The economy minister's budget cuts program ran into problems last week. Not only is he facing opposition within his party, but the trade unions have also rejected his program. Analysts no longer believe that he will regain their support on this issue.
Financial analysts and entrepreneurial organizations warn that the budget cuts program is in growing danger and that the minister himself is beginning to feel the pressure and is slowly backing away from what needs to be done.
Senate Speaker Longin Pastusiak said that he expects deputies who are standing for membership of the Monetary Policy Council to rethink their candidacy. President Kwaśnieswki also expressed his opinion that deputies and senators should not be eligible to join the Council.
In accordance with expectations, the Senate appointed Marian Noga, Stanisław Owsiak and Halina Wasilewska-Trenkner as new members of the Monetary Policy Council. President Kwaśniewski will select his three candidates on February 17.
The 2003 budget deficit amounted to zł.37 billion, which was zł.1.7 billion lower than expected. This was thanks to lowering expenditures, but it was a close run thing, as budget revenues were almost zł.3.5 billion lower than envisaged. Deputy Finance Minister Hanna Wasilewska-Trenkner told the press conference that the state collected zł.95.3 billion in indirect taxes, against zł.96.9 billion anticipated, which was due to low inflation. Personal income revenues were down due to "Lower growth of wages and employment. Revenues were also influenced by growing social insurance premiums."
The National Chamber of Commerce will soon hold arbitration hearings to determine who owns a 35 percent stake in telecoms operator NOM, whose main shareholder will soon become Tel-Energo.
Wirthwein and Coco-Werk, two German companies which produce plastic parts and washing machine doors, are likely to start construction of their own factories in Łódź at a cost of zł.65 million.
KSV Biuro Informacji Gospodarczej, a fully owned subsidiary of Austrian KSV which specializes in providing information about unreliable clients, collecting overdue payments and representing creditors in bankruptcy proceedings, will commence operations by March.
Życie daily has reappear on newsstands after it went bankrupt over a year ago. Its chief editor Tomasz Wołek announced that it would place itself somewhere between Gazeta Wyborcza and Rzeczpospolita.
POLITICS
The prime minister made a nationwide television address on January 10, announcing that his government would continue to pursue policies encouraging economic growth, but stressed that their effects must be felt in people's wallets.
Robert Kwiatkowski, the current president of TVP public television has withdrawn his candidacy for the post of company president. The majority of politicians who commented on his decision expressed relief, with some wondering how he had had the cheek to put himself forward in the first place.
Gazeta Wyborcza together with TVN television has uncovered a new scandal involving members of the ruling Democratic Left Alliance (SLD). The Bydgoszcz council controlled by SLD between 2000-2002 injected huge amounts of money into the local sports club, which in return helped finance the party's election campaign that ended up bankrupting the club.
INTERNATIONAL
The governments of Poland, Germany and France are to meet in Berlin to try and work out a compromise over the EU Constitution. Apparently, the three countries are now more flexible and a new formula to count votes in the EU Council could finally help resolve the issue.
According to well-placed sources, the prime minister, in consultation with the president, agreed to put Danuta Huebner forward as the Polish Commissioner in Brussels. She is also favored by Italian politicians, and is widely recognized for her expertise on European issues.
Immediately after joining the EU, the government will present Brussels with a convergence plan, which will show how the country will meet European public finance norms and help guarantee a stable exchange rate between the złoty and the euro.
DOMESTIC
Ten ambulances were needed to ferry away the injured following rowdy scenes at the January sales of Media Markt's Łódź stores. The police struggled to keep crowds under control, and one security guard was taken to hospital with injured genitals.
Gazeta Wyborcza, after much perseverance, managed to uncover that Maciej Skórka, a businessman involved in the gambling sector, did actually visit the Sejm many times during his work on the Gambling Bill. Sejm officials feared that if they revealed this information he
would sue them for invasion of privacy.
Three teams have been appointed to work independently on the blueprints for a new state health care system after the Constitutional Tribunal ruled that the National Health Fund was not in accordance with the constitution. The first team was created by the health minister, the second team will be composed of parliamentary deputies, while the third will be run by prof. Zbigniew Religa.
According to preliminary estimates, the value of leased assets exceeded zł.10 billion in 2003, which is a 30 percent increase from last year. Sector representatives believe that the result was caused by falling interest rates and the improving financial standing of exporters.
In early 2003 official projections of privatization revenues were placed at zł. 9 billion. However, the State Treasury only managed to collect just over zł.4 billion. The largest deal of the year was the sale of a stake in TPSA which raised zł.1.6 billion.
Economy Minister Jerzy Hausner met with Democratic Left Alliance members in Katowice as part of his attempts to get social approval for his budget cuts. He also declared that the government will reduce expenditure on official phone calls and cars by 15 percent, and limit the number of political advisers in Ministries.
The economy minister's budget cuts program ran into problems last week. Not only is he facing opposition within his party, but the trade unions have also rejected his program. Analysts no longer believe that he will regain their support on this issue.
Financial analysts and entrepreneurial organizations warn that the budget cuts program is in growing danger and that the minister himself is beginning to feel the pressure and is slowly backing away from what needs to be done.
Senate Speaker Longin Pastusiak said that he expects deputies who are standing for membership of the Monetary Policy Council to rethink their candidacy. President Kwaśnieswki also expressed his opinion that deputies and senators should not be eligible to join the Council.
In accordance with expectations, the Senate appointed Marian Noga, Stanisław Owsiak and Halina Wasilewska-Trenkner as new members of the Monetary Policy Council. President Kwaśniewski will select his three candidates on February 17.
The 2003 budget deficit amounted to zł.37 billion, which was zł.1.7 billion lower than expected. This was thanks to lowering expenditures, but it was a close run thing, as budget revenues were almost zł.3.5 billion lower than envisaged. Deputy Finance Minister Hanna Wasilewska-Trenkner told the press conference that the state collected zł.95.3 billion in indirect taxes, against zł.96.9 billion anticipated, which was due to low inflation. Personal income revenues were down due to "Lower growth of wages and employment. Revenues were also influenced by growing social insurance premiums."
The National Chamber of Commerce will soon hold arbitration hearings to determine who owns a 35 percent stake in telecoms operator NOM, whose main shareholder will soon become Tel-Energo.
Wirthwein and Coco-Werk, two German companies which produce plastic parts and washing machine doors, are likely to start construction of their own factories in Łódź at a cost of zł.65 million.
KSV Biuro Informacji Gospodarczej, a fully owned subsidiary of Austrian KSV which specializes in providing information about unreliable clients, collecting overdue payments and representing creditors in bankruptcy proceedings, will commence operations by March.
Życie daily has reappear on newsstands after it went bankrupt over a year ago. Its chief editor Tomasz Wołek announced that it would place itself somewhere between Gazeta Wyborcza and Rzeczpospolita.
POLITICS
The prime minister made a nationwide television address on January 10, announcing that his government would continue to pursue policies encouraging economic growth, but stressed that their effects must be felt in people's wallets.
Robert Kwiatkowski, the current president of TVP public television has withdrawn his candidacy for the post of company president. The majority of politicians who commented on his decision expressed relief, with some wondering how he had had the cheek to put himself forward in the first place.
Gazeta Wyborcza together with TVN television has uncovered a new scandal involving members of the ruling Democratic Left Alliance (SLD). The Bydgoszcz council controlled by SLD between 2000-2002 injected huge amounts of money into the local sports club, which in return helped finance the party's election campaign that ended up bankrupting the club.
INTERNATIONAL
The governments of Poland, Germany and France are to meet in Berlin to try and work out a compromise over the EU Constitution. Apparently, the three countries are now more flexible and a new formula to count votes in the EU Council could finally help resolve the issue.
According to well-placed sources, the prime minister, in consultation with the president, agreed to put Danuta Huebner forward as the Polish Commissioner in Brussels. She is also favored by Italian politicians, and is widely recognized for her expertise on European issues.
Immediately after joining the EU, the government will present Brussels with a convergence plan, which will show how the country will meet European public finance norms and help guarantee a stable exchange rate between the złoty and the euro.
DOMESTIC
Ten ambulances were needed to ferry away the injured following rowdy scenes at the January sales of Media Markt's Łódź stores. The police struggled to keep crowds under control, and one security guard was taken to hospital with injured genitals.
Gazeta Wyborcza, after much perseverance, managed to uncover that Maciej Skórka, a businessman involved in the gambling sector, did actually visit the Sejm many times during his work on the Gambling Bill. Sejm officials feared that if they revealed this information he
would sue them for invasion of privacy.
Three teams have been appointed to work independently on the blueprints for a new state health care system after the Constitutional Tribunal ruled that the National Health Fund was not in accordance with the constitution. The first team was created by the health minister, the second team will be composed of parliamentary deputies, while the third will be run by prof. Zbigniew Religa.
