Treasury Minister explains foreign investment policy to German Chancellor

Treasury Minister Wieslaw Kaczmarek met German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder in Berlin on Friday. Kaczmarek visited Germany at the invitation of Schröder who wanted to learn more about Polish privatization plans and Poland's attitude towards foreign investors. In response to complaints about constant changes to tax regulations in Poland voiced by German economy minister Werner Müller, Kaczmarek explained that the excise tax on energy was imposed due to budget difficulties and not due to hostility towards foreign investors. German companies are showing interest in the privatization of the Polish sugar industry and the energy sector, with E.ON and RWE participating in the Stoen and G-8 privatization bid. (Gazeta Wyborcza, April 27-28, p. 24) K.S.