11/03/2006

Poland is Leader on Number of Immigrants in Great Britain

Poland is a leader on number of immigrants in Great Britain, Reuters announced citing a publication for the demographic situation in the country in 2005. According to the data there were 185,000 Polish immigrants last year and 233,000 in 2004. The Polish immigrants are most of all 12% followed by these from India – 11%. According to the research there are 500 people arriving every day in Great Britain in attempt to find a better life.
Source:focus-fen.net



Flights to Poland

Novea - Business in Poland

DGAP-News: Successful market entry in Poland

The market entry in Poland in the field of take-back of waste electrical and electronic equipment has been successful for CCR. The subsidiary of CCR Logistics Systems AG, set up in 2006, has recorded incoming orders exceeding expectations. As operator of the take-back scheme of the European Recycling Platform, CCR benefits from every newly acquired customer. In Poland nearly 90 manufacturers have by now decided in favor of the scheme, including IKEA, VARTA, Honeywell, Nokia and Lucent. The obligation to take back waste equipment became effective for Polish manufacturers on October 21, 2006 and for distributors on July 1, 2006.

'In Poland we have been able to provide a network of collection points, logistics and recycling experts within a very short period of time, in order to secure a smooth take-back operation for our customer, the European Recycling Platform', Achim Winter, CEO of CCR Logistics Systems AG, comments on the launch of operations in Poland. And he adds: 'Poland is a growth market, and we are confident that we will succeed in expanding our market share significantly."

At the end of 2004 the European Recycling Platform awarded a contract to CCR Logistics Systems AG for the elaboration and operation of take-back schemes in Germany, Austria, Italy and Poland. In Germany, take-back operations started on March 24, 2006, in Austria already on August 13, 2005 and in Italy the operational start is expected in Q2 2007 due to a delayed legislative process.

CCR specializes in the management of take-back systems. As an international business process outsourcing partner for industry and trade, CCR develops take-back systems with comprehensive logistics processes and IT-supported reporting and clearing. In the fields of Automotive, Electro and Electronic, Construction as well as Industry & Commerce renowned customers like the Volkswagen and BMW groups, Toyota, Citroen as well as Porsche, the European Recycling Platform (ERP), OSRAM and Red Bull all rely on CCR solutions.

Source:financial.de



Flights to Poland

Novea - Business in Poland

Aurelian Oil & Gas signs rig contracts in Bulgaria, Poland

LONDON (AFX) - Aurelian Oil & Gas PLC, the Central European exploration and production comapny, said it has signed rig contracts for wells in Bulgaria and Poland.

Aurelian's 90 pct Polish subsidiary Energia Zachod has signed a contract with Oil & Gas Drilling 'Nafta' Ltd of Plia Poland for the drilling of the Trzek-1 well on the Siekeriki structure within the Ponzan East concession.

The well is expected to be drilled to a depth of 4,000 metres over three-and-a-half months, beginning in February next year.

The Bulgaria contract has been signed with Romanian company Dafora SA for the drilling of the Golitza-1 well on its B-Golitza licence. It is expected to be drilled to a depth of 5,000 metres over four months, starting in March next year.

Aurelian added that JKX Oil & Gas PLC have exercised their option to increase their stake from 25 pct to 50 pct on the B-Golitza licence and is at the same time taking over as the operator of the project and also of the B1-Golitza licence. JKX will therefore operate the drilling of the Golitza-1 well, the company said.

newsdesk@afxnews.com



Flights to Poland

Novea - Business in Poland

Poland ranks in the Internet Spam top-10

Warsaw, Poland November 2, 2006. Currently Poland is seen as a hotbed of Internet fraud and spam. Poland's Internet provider tpnet.pl is helping to foster that image. It is rated currently as the eighth top spam network in the world. The spam that emanates from this network not only fills mailboxes around the world with trash and fraudulent offers, it does economic damage to Polish companies.

Internet spam generally result because certain Internet providers knowingly sell their services to known spammers. Other Internet providers, often because it is economically beneficial to do so, turn a blind guy to the spam problem.

One of the organizations that combat spam is known as Spam House. For those who utilize the services of Poland's Internet provider, the name Spam House becomes familiar very quickly.

It is a matter of routine for users of to have their e-mail services blocked by Spam House because Spam House determines, in its own arbitrary way, that an innocent user is a spanner.

In order to be removed from the Spam House of blocking list, one must contact Spam House and request them to manually review the account and wait for it to be unblocked. That normally takes one to two hours. This can shut down a company's operations and cost the company a great deal of money in lost productivity.

Likewise if one is using one of the wireless network cards, it is not uncommon to have a emails blocked by Spam House. If one is mobile, such as on a train, the inconvenience of having to wait a couple of hours to have e-mail unblocked can be most frustrating.

An alternative solution to the problem is to disconnect one modem from the Internet for about five minutes. If one is lucky, upon reconnecting the new IP addresses assigned to the wireless card or to one's own modem will not be blocked by Spam House and one will be able to quickly resume Internet operations. To this a caveat must be added concerning wireless cards. In some areas only a few IP addresses are assigned and all of them can be blocked. So connecting and unconnecting will not help.

Calling tpnet.pl is essentially a waste of time because they say that the problem is not theirs and one should contact Spam House.

Even though Poland in many ways leads the world in use of the Internet, its leading Internet provider seems to have no interest in helping rid the world of spam.

This is not only harmful to private and business users of the internet, but also to Poland's image and reputation around the world.

Source:masterpage.com.p



Flights to Poland

Novea - Business in Poland

11/02/2006

Poland Government Rejects Call for Total Ban on Abortions

Poland’s government has stopped short of attempting to ban all abortions in the Roman Catholic country, despite efforts by the League of Polish Families to introduce legislation offering protection to unborn children under all circumstances, including in cases of rape or threat to the health of the mother.

Brothers Lech and Jaroslaw Kaczynski, who together head the strongly-conservative government in coalition with the League, indicated they would not considering reopening the issue of abortion, in statements to the media reported by TVNZ.com October 28.

“I am for keeping the status quo,” President Lech Kaczynski stated. “The compromise reached on abortion 13 years ago is good.”

Jaroslaw Kacsynski, Prime Minister of Poland, agreed, saying he wanted to avoid another storm over abortion.

The League of Polish Families formed a coalition with the Kaczynskis government last May. The League is calling for a constitutional change that would allow a total ban on abortion, including cases of rape, incest, and severe prenatal disabilities.

In cases of pregnancy resulting from rape, “[a] child should not be punished for the crimes of his father,” League deputy Marek Kotlinowski told Reuters. “It’s a tragedy for the woman. But the fate of the child interests me more.”

Poland is one of very few European countries still offering significant protection to the life of the unborn, along with Ireland and the tiny country of Malta. The country has come under heavy pressure from the European Union to liberalize its abortion laws, but so far the country’s leadership has resisted EU directives on the issue.

Source:By Gudrun Schultz, ifesite.ne



Flights to Poland

Novea - Business in Poland

Most in Poland Satisfied with Place in EU

Many Poles are happy with their country’s accession into the European Union (EU), according to a poll by TNS OBOP. 72 per cent of respondents rate Poland’s membership in the EU as positive.

In the June 2003 EU accession referendum, 77.5 per cent of voters endorsed Poland’s accession. The country officially became a member of the continental alliance in May 2004. Poland is the sixth biggest member of the group.

In September, Poland’s unemployment rate fell to 15.2 per cent—its lowest level since December 2000. The number is still the highest in the 25-nation EU.

In July, Polish president Lech Kaczynski called for the restoration of capital punishment in Europe. The League of Polish Families (LPR) political party has announced a campaign to support the introduction of the death penalty for people convicted of sexual abuse and murder of minors. Both EU and the Council of Europe call for every member state to have abolished capital punishment.

Polling Data

How do you rate Poland’s membership in the European Union (EU)?

Positively

72%

Negatively

6%

Neither

19%

Not sure

3%

Source:angus-reid.com



Flights to Poland

Novea - Business in Poland

Big space shopping trade in Poland

Customers go where they like it most

“Poland is lucky in that it has gone into the world of big space shopping trade rather late”. That was an observation made one year ago by a Western expert in the sector while opening the Poznań Plaza

Poland – a highly promising market considering
the country's vast potential
of 38 million eager consumers looking forward to this new form of trade.
hypermarket. “The result is”, he said, “that shopping centres in Poland are among the most modern ones in Europe. Big shopping centres in the West can afford up-dating their facilities only after earning return. Yours are modern from the start”.

According to the ”Report on Internal Trade in 2004” released by the Ministry of the Economy, gross return on sales of big and medium sized shops in that year amounted to 2.5 per cent and 3.4 per cent in small outlets while return on capital went up by 10 per cent and 23.5 per cent, respectively”. That finding abolishes the myth that ”hypermarkets make fortunes at the expense of small shops”. They do not. Big space shopping entities make money on economies of scale rather than unit margins.
Source:polishmarket.com.pl



Flights to Poland

Novea - Business in Poland

French FM to visit Poland

French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy will pay a visit to Poland on Friday at the invitation of Polish Foreign Minister Anna Fotyga, the PAP news agency quoted Polish Foreign Ministry as saying on Tuesday.

During the visit, Douste-Blazy will discuss with his Polish hosts relations between the two countries, cooperation at the EU forum and major international issues, the ministry said.

Douste-Blazy and French Minister for European Affairs Catherine Colonna, who accompanied Douste-Blazy on the tour, are scheduled to meet Poland's President Lech Kaczynski and Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski.

Source: Xinhua



Flights to Poland

Novea - Business in Poland

RAIL NEWS FROM CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE!

The Ministry of Finance, after months of analyses, decided on the way of cuttig PKP Regional Railway's (PKP PR) debts.
The details are now disussed between the Ministry of Transport and the Ministry of Finance. The company's debts will be partly covered from the PLN 2 billion (EUR 514m) gathered in the Railway Fund. The Fund is in major part based on the incomes from car fuel tax.

It was ealier decided that the whole income from the fuel tax will be spent on building a road and highway network. Last year the railway managed to force the government to spendpart of this sum on the development o railways.

In 2005 PKP PR debts reached PLN 2.9 billion (EUR 746m).
Source:railway-market.pl



Flights to Poland

Novea - Business in Poland

Microsoft Clamps Down on Software Auctions

Microsoft has taken action against nearly 55 defendants worldwide in an effort to curb online dealers from selling counterfeit software through auction sites such as eBay. The company said it had warned many of the parties involved through cease and desist letters, among other methods.

By region, the actions include 15 within the United States, 10 in Germany, 10 in the Netherlands, and five each in both France and Britain. In addition, complaints were filed in Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Korea, Mexico, and Poland.

"Counterfeit software is defective and dangerous because counterfeiters tamper with the genuine software code, which leaves the door open to identity theft and other serious security breaches," said Matt Lundy, a senior attorney at Microsoft.

Many of the defendants were caught through the Windows Genuine Advantage program, which allows customers to report counterfeit software. In some cases, in exchange for assistance, Microsoft will provide a genuine copy of the program at no charge.

Two studies, one by Microsoft and another by IDC, show that counterfeited software poses a security risk when installed. The IDC study focused on key generators and crack tools, indicating that 11 percent of those downloaded from websites and 59 percent downloaded from P2P networks contained some type of malicious software or code.

That study followed Microsoft's, which found 34 percent of counterfeit Windows XP disk could not be installed on a computer, and another 43 percent contained additional programs, or binary code.

"It is more important than ever for users to educate themselves about these dangers," IDC senior vice president John Gantz said. "Our findings underscore the simple fact that there are real costs in the form of increased risks to security and personal data that can easily outweigh any perceived savings from using counterfeit software."

Source:betanews.com



Flights to Poland

Novea - Business in Poland

Syria, Poland Sign Agreement on Amending Debt Settlement

Minister of Finance Dr. Mohammad al-Hussein and the Polish ambassador in Damascus Jacek Chodorowicz on Tuesday signed an agreement on amending the debt settlement accord signed between the two countries two years ago.

The amendment states that Syria would pay the due USD-8,5-million debts to Poland in Euro instead of the dollar.

The two countries had already agreed that the total debts which amounted to USD 25,5 millions would be repaid in installments until March 2008.

Speaking during the signing ceremony, the Minister said Syria and Poland were linked by strong friendship, adding that Damascus would always stick by this friendship.

The polish ambassador said signing the new agreement on amending the debt settlement would help further enhance the existing relations between the two countries and encourages Polish businessmen to come and invest in Syria.

Source:sana.org



Flights to Poland

Novea - Business in Poland

Hurting Polish small business hurts Poland

Small businesses in Poland are not credited with the importance to the economy that they should be. The Polish Government pays attention to large business and proudlyly announces the creation of 3000 jobs here and 10,000 jobs there as foreign investors put money into projects in Poland. But it ignores small businesses, that if properly cared for, could create hundreds of thousands of jobs very quickly.

The tax burden on businesses in Poland is such that sometimes it costs a business in taxes and fees as much as five times the amount of money that it pays an employee.

Small businesses, and big businesses alike, avoid these costs by employing people illegally. The effect on the Polish labor picture is big. The Polish Government estimates that as many as 1.5 million people in Poland are illegally employed. See

Further, businesses are reluctant to hire new people because of the high-cost of hiring and because of their inability to terminate them without further costs and administrative burdens.

Were the Polish government to make changes to the labor and tax laws that would make it beneficial for small businesses to hire people, it is likely that many more jobs would be created.

At the same time, were the costs that were added on to the employee's wages reduced so that employers could pass some of the savings on to the employees in the form of wages, the wage level for employees in Poland would increase.

If conditions changed and were only 10 percent of the 2 1/2 million or so small businesses in Poland to add one employee, there would be an additional 250,000 people employed.

And were the laws changed such as the Polish small businesses could increase the pay scales, people might be drawn back into the legitimate labour force and it is possible at some reduction in emigration might occur.

But it makes a great press coverage to announce the opening of a new factory funded by foreign investors. And it does not make great press coverage to say that one is going to have to change the labor law to give employers more flexibility to hire and fire and to reduce their taxes.

As it stands now, there's no change in sight and small business will continue to work on the edge of the economy. And that hurts Poland.

Source:masterpage.com.pl



Flights to Poland

Novea - Business in Poland

10/31/2006

Poll: Poles overwhelmingly support their country's EU membership

Poles overwhelmingly support their country's membership in the European Union, according to a poll released Monday, despite their leaders' tussles with Brussels.
The survey by the TNS OBOP institute, published by the PAP news agency, said 72 percent of Poles positively rate Poland's membership in the 25-member bloc.
Six percent of respondents do not support Poland's two-year-old membership, while 19 percent see no advantage or disadvantage, the survey found.
Poles' positive assessment of EU membership follows a string of spats between Warsaw and Brussels since the nationalist conservative Law and Justice party took power a year ago.
Warsaw has clashed with the EU over issues ranging from economic protectionism to perceived attacks on the independence of Poland's central bank. The government's conservative stance on gay rights and other social issues also has drawn criticism.
Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski, and his twin brother, President Lech Kaczynski, have pledged to protect Poland's interests in the EU and are reluctant to surrender too much sovereignty to Brussels.
They govern in a coalition with two smaller parties that are skeptical of the bloc.
Poland joined the EU along with nine other mainly former communist countries.
Since 2004, hundreds of thousands of Poles have used the new opportunity to find better-paying jobs in Western Europe. Many Poles say that EU membership also makes them feel more secure and freer to travel and seek education abroad.
The survey of 1,005 adults, conducted from Oct. 5-9, gave a margin of error of plus or minus three percentage points.
Source:iht.com



Flights to Poland

Novea - Business in Poland

Railway in Poland: Railway to link Poznan city center with Ławica airport?

The self government of Wielkopolska region plans to build a rail link between Poznan downtown and Ławica airport.
The cost building 1800 meters of tracks and settling the ownership of the land through which the link would run is estimated at PLN 2m (EUR 514.000)

For the moment Poznan inhabitants have to deal with heavy traffic on the roads to the developing airport.

It would take 8 to 10 minutes for a rail bus to cover the distance. .

For the moment the self government works on feasibility studies for the projects. If it occurs economically justifiable the link can be ready to launch in 2 years.
Source:railway-market.pl



Flights to Poland

Novea - Business in Poland

Can Poland solve its labor problems?

With unemployment in Poland at about 15.2%, there is a shortage of labour. Foreign companies are investing in Poland expecting to find cheaper, talented Polish labor and are coming up short on their expectations because this labor has emigrated West. Will Poland be able to supply the laborers expected by foreign investors?

The labor picture is interesting.

Emigration of the talented and skilled work force to Western European Union countries is estimated to have removed anywhere between 1 and 2 million talented Poles from the available work force. But there are still about 2.3 million registered unemployed in Poland.

Even though there are 2.3 million unemployed left in the country, companies in Poland are reporting difficulties with finding qualified workers.

It is estimated that one to one-and-a-half million of this unemployed labor pool are not interested in work for one reason or another. Many of these people are illegally employed and are simply registered as unemployed in order to get state benefits.

Other companies report that once that train young workers, a large percentage of them emigrate West.

The Polish government proudly reports that the unemployment rate has been decreasing. The Polish Government Central Statistics office reported that over the past year the unemployment rate in Poland as decreased approximately 3.5% and the Polish government attributes this, in part, due to increased job opportunities.

But is also estimated that about 5% of the Polish work force has emigrated West. If that is the case, it would appear that in fact had these people stayed in Poland the unemployment rate would have actually increased. The reduction in unemployemnt is actually very much the result of emmigration.

Seeing the problem that Polish companies are having finding labor, The Polish government has taken some steps to open its borders to foreign workers in an attempt to fill the requirements for laborers in Poland.

But Poland's attractiveness to foreign investors is based largely on having access to a low cost of well-educated work force. Will the foreign workers that come to Poland include enough talented, well educated people that are necessary to help satisfy the needs of the high-tech companies coming to Poland? Or will opening the borders bring in the low-cost labor that is qualified to work on the farms and in menial positions?

Anecdotal evidence says that some Poles are returning to the country. It is reported that Polish expatriates from the city of Lodz are buying real estate there because they see possibilities for the growing economy in Lodz. According to the report people are returning to Lodz.

People may simply be investing in real estate. Maybe they will invest in real estate in Poland and continu to commute to high paying jobs in the West?

But the information from Lodz is anectotal and anecdotes don't make data. How attractive is it to people working at high wages in Western Europe to come back to Lodz to work once again for low wages? Not very.

It is going to take higher wages to attract talent. But according to some analysts, that will take 20 years.

Thee current government is pursuing a policy of destroying the old system under which Poland has operated. It has not shown a policy of building labor conditions conducive to keeping Polish labor in Poland. It seems very interested in attracting foreign investment to create new jobs in Poland. But on the other side of coin it has not demonstrated any active interest in assuring these companies the required workers.

To increase the wages for Polish workers, the cost of the employment to companies operating in Poland has to drop significantly. That takes the political will to change the labor code in order to make it affordable for companies in Poland to hire new workers no less hire new workers at higher wages.

Does the current government's have the will of or the ability to at least start to solve the labor problem by changing the labor code.?

Source:masterpage.com.pl



Flights to Poland

Novea - Business in Poland

Fortis says it will buy Poland's Dominet for an undisclosed sum

Fortis NV, an insurer and financial services company, said Monday it agreed to buy Dominet, a Polish retail bank, for an undisclosed sum.
Dominet, which specializes in consumer finance, employs 806 people across the eastern European country.
"International growth of our retail banking activities is a pillar of Fortis's strategy," said Jos Clijsters, chief executive of Fortis' retail banking unit.
Fortis, a Belgian-Dutch banking and insurance group, employs about 58,000 people and has a market value of around €41.6 billion (US$53 billion).
The bank does most of its business in the Netherlands and Belgium but plans to expand, aiming to increase the amount of net profit it reaps from outside its home market from 20 percent to 30 percent by 2009.
Fortis CEO Jean-Paul Votron said in August the bank would continue with its push into retail banking in Germany and Poland. Fortis spent €1.5 billion (US$1.93 billion) on acquisitions last year.
Source:iht.com

The bank does most of its business in the Netherlands and Bel
Sourcegium but plans to expand, aiming to increase the amount of net profit it reaps from outside its home market from 20 percent to 30 percent by 2009.
Fortis CEO Jean-Paul Votron said in August the bank would continue with its push into retail banking in Germany and Poland. Fortis spent €1.5 billion (US$1.93 billion) on acquisitions last year



Flights to Poland

Novea - Business in Poland

Poland eliminating popular trade hub.

Poland will shut down the largest trade hub in Warsaw and replace it with a new sports stadium. This trade hub in Poland is Europe's largest bazaar/flea market, where you can reportedly buy literally everything-from pirated CDs to vodka and AK-47s from beyond the eastern border. Cash and under the table deals are king. Every day busloads of traders come to Poland and the Jarmark from Russia and Ukraine and other countries to the East. If you want that you can find it there. And you can find it in a good price. Known locally as the Russian market, and more widely known as Jarmark Europea, it provides employment for approximately 60,000 people. Changing the location of the Jarmark will create economic shock waves through Warsaw.

Thousands of small traders around Warsaw visit the Jarmark each day to buy goods that they take back to the streets and sell on this stands. In many cases deals are in cash. And these traders sell for cash. So all taxes are avoided.

And the people of Warsaw know that if they want to find something very cheap they go to the Jarmark. It is a very popular shopping point.

The Jarmark in the past has been untouchable.

Whenever Polish authorities have been asked questions about the illegal trade, the number of non registered businesses, and illegal activities that are considerd commonplace at the Jarmark, they have avoided direct answers and instead talked about the imporetance of the issue and with 60,000 people's employment at stake, they could not afford the political fallout that would result if they wereto shut down or imposed effective controls on what happened at the Jarmark.

The government now says that it will find new places for these traders. Government involvement in the placement of these traders implies some increased government supervision. Such supervision may eliminate the businesses of many of these people.

The announcement of the change has not received much attention in the press. That can be expected. The less one says about the Jarmark, the safer one is.

But as the time draws near and the incomes of some 60,000 people in Warsaw start being affected, the source of products for many small businesses and traders who buy and sell in the black and grey market are eliminated, or prices increased, there will be both political and economic fallout.

Small business and employment in Warsaw will soon change. And maybe some of the politicians who want to change the Jarmark. There is too much money and too many people involved for it to be a minor event.

Source:masterpage.com.pl



Flights to Poland

Novea - Business in Poland

10/30/2006

Ryanair announces new route from Shannon to Lodz

Ryanair has announced a new route from Shannon to Lodz (pronounced Wudge) in Poland that will operate twice weekly from 4th December. This brings to 27 the number of low fare routes operated by Ryanair at its Shannon base which over the coming 12 months will deliver 1.7M passengers for the West of Ireland.

Announcing the new route, Peter Sherrard, Ryanair’s Head of Communications said: “We are delighted to be giving passengers in the mid-west another low fares route, bringing to 27 the number of Ryanair destinations served by our base in Shannon.

“Ryanair now links Shannon with three Polish destinations, and this new route will be good news for both business links in the mid-west and the considerable Polish community in the Shannon region.”

“Seats on this new route are available from just €2.99*, and we urge passengers to book immediately on www.ryanair.com as fares this low will not last long”.
Source:easier.com



Flights to Poland

Novea - Business in Poland

Railway in Poland: Intermodal transports account for 1.7% of all freight carried by rail

Intermodal services accounted for 1.7% of all freight carried by rail in 2005. 94,2% of those were container transports.
The main problem of this kind of services in Poland is the lack of well prepared infrastructure. There are 13 intermodal terminals in Poland, while, according to the ministry of transport, there is a demand for at least 30 and 6 to 8 regional logistic center.

The Sector Operation Programme Transport (SPOT) for 2003-2006 assumed spending EUR 31.6m on the development of intermodal transport in Poland. The project for 2007-2013 envisages EUR 109m.

SPOT contains a programme for developing intermodal transports in Poland for the period of 2005-2008. There are several project applying for the money, that is the Slawkow Logistic Center, Poznan Franowo termial, modernization of Malaszewicze terminal.
Source:railway-market.pl



Flights to Poland

Novea - Business in Poland

Poland resists pressure for abortion ban

Poland's conservative leaders, Lech and Jaroslaw Kaczynski, have rejected pressure from their ultra-nationalist allies to introduce a blanket ban on abortions in the overwhelmingly Roman Catholic country.

Poland already has one of Europe's toughest abortion laws but the League of Polish Families, junior members in the ruling coalition, want abortions outlawed even in cases of rape or when the mother's health is threatened.

"I am for keeping the status quo," Polish President Lech Kaczynski was quoted as saying by media on Friday. "The compromise reached on abortion 13 years ago is good."

Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski echoed his brother's words, saying he wanted to avoid another storm over abortion.

Polish politicians on the left and right and Catholic bishops reached a broad consensus to restrict abortion after communism fell in 1989 to cases of rape and incest or serious health risks to the mother or foetus.

The League wants a total ban and suggested a change in the constitution.

"A child should not be punished for the crimes of his father," League deputy Marek Kotlinowski told Reuters, referring to cases of rape. "It's a tragedy for the woman. But the fate of the child interests me more."

Some backbenchers in the Kaczynskis' Law and Justice party also supported a ban but after a clear signal from the brothers that they do not endorse the idea, the measure is likely to be defeated in a vote.

The Kaczynskis, known for their conservative views on homosexuality and the death penalty, raised eyebrows in May when they formed a coalition with the League, which is more orthodox in defending Catholic values than the country's bishops.

Source:tvnz.co.nz



Flights to Poland

Novea - Business in Poland

Poland to create a professional army

Poland is planning to phase out compulsory military conscription and create a professional army, a spokesman for the General Staff said on Friday.

A member of NATO and central Europe's biggest country, Poland has 150,000 soldiers in its armed forces, including 2,200 in international peacekeeping missions in Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, Bosnia, Kosovo and Lebanon.

"The concept agreed between the Ministry of Defence and the president envisages Poland retaining its 150,000 troops, but the core of the army will be 120,000 professionals," said Lieutenant-Colonel Krzysztof Laszkiewicz.

"The army will also include 30,000 (temporary) contract soldiers," he said.

President Lech Kaczynski is expected to announce the changes later on Friday during a meeting with soldiers in the city of Kielce.

At present, some 80,000 young Polish men spend nine months each year in obligatory military service. The rest of the army are professionals.

Military experts say Poland needs a fully professional army in order handle complex missions abroad.

Parliament must approve the changes, which look likely to pass, before they take effect. The main opposition party, the Civic Platform, has signalled it may vote for them.

Source:in.today.reuters.com



Flights to Poland

Novea - Business in Poland

Railway in Poland: EUR 1.24 billion for railways in the 2007 budget project

The project of Poland's budget for 2007 forsees support for railways in 2007 will sum up to PLN 4.83 billion PLN (EUR 1.24 billion), including PLN 967m (EUR 2498m) from the EU.
In detail:

The state budget will refund the reduced ticket prices with PLN 371m (99,3 % in comparison to the 2006 budget)

Also:

Budget support for interregional and international services PLN 240m (96 %)

Budget support for Polish national infrastructure manager PKP PLK on track maintenance and repairs PLN 380m (146,2 %)

Budget support for PKP PLK for investment projects PLN 591m (116.9%). This amount includes support for EU cofinanced project of PLN 203m

The sum of PLN 591m includes:
-two long term investments (sections modernisation of the E59 line Wroclaw - Poznan).
-modernizations sections of E20 line
-modernizations of Poznan railway junction on E20 line
-repairs and modernizations on sections of E30 and C-E30 lines
-modernization on sections of lines E65, 401 (Szczecin Dabie-Swinoujscie), 71 (Rzeszow-Warszawa),
Poprawa stanu infrastruktury kolejowej w Polsce – 39.995 tyś zł.
- modernization of Warsaw-Łodz line
-removing bottlenecks in freight corridors in Silesia region
-modernization of sections of C-E59 line
-modernization of the line 8, section Warszawa Zachodnia station - Warszawa Okecie airopert.


State support for PKP Cargo on cofinancing investment projects: building of intermodal terminal Poznan-Franowo and modernizarion of Malaszewicze border terminal. Sum - PLN 6.9m
Source: railway-market.pl



Flights to Poland

Novea - Business in Poland

ST1: St1 Launches Fuel Sales in Polan

The energy enterprise St1 continues to internationalise its business.
St1 has launched fuel sales in Poland. The first station opened on
27 October 2006 in Ruda Slaska, near Katowice, in the south of Poland.

With 270 petrol stations in Finland, St1 is now seeking growth abroad.
In 2004, St1 extended its business to Sweden, where it has 36 petrol
stations. The company is now looking for growth in the Polish market.

“Poland has a population of almost 40 million people, which is four
times the amount in Sweden, for example, but the number of petrol
stations and the consumption of fuel are at the same levels as they
are in Sweden. We believe that Poland has room for a new, efficient
supplier who can reward motorists with affordable prices,” says
Juha Kokko, Managing Director at St1.

St1 is currently investigating the best sites for its petrol stations
and construction work on two other stations is already under way.

Own Technology in Key Role

The key to St1’s competitiveness is the technology that the company
itself has developed. Thanks to its ERP system, Stream, St1 is capable
of operating efficiently and offering its customers fuel at reasonable
prices. The technology has been customised for St1’s own specific
needs and it plays a key role in the company’s internationalisation
efforts as well.

“Having our own technology means that we can manage petrol stations in
different countries from a single control centre in Helsinki. It is
thanks to our ERP system that we only need three people to look after
306 stations,” Kokko explains.

For more information, please contact:
Juha Kokko, Managing Director, St1, +358 (0)44 741 2839, juha.kokko@st1.fi

St1 in Brief

St1 is a private Finnish energy company, founded in 1997. The
company’s main business is the sale of fuels and it has 306 petrol
stations in Finland and Sweden. In 2005, St1’s share of the Finnish
petrol market amounted to about 10%. St1 employs 25 people and has a
turnover of €370 million, making it the most efficient venture in the
industry. The company provides consumers with affordable, high-quality
fuels with minimal environmental loading. St1 is a pioneer in applying
new technologies in its business. In 2005, the company began selling
electricity to private households in Finland. For further information,
please visit www.st1.fi.
Source:kauppalehti.fi



Flights to Poland

Novea - Business in Poland

Poland Orders Two More C-295 Transport Planes

Aero-News has learned representatives with the Polish military signed a contract Friday with EADS Military Transport Aircraft Division for the purchase of two additional C-295 transport aircraft. The new planes will supplement the country's current fleet of eight of the twin turboprop transports.

The contract was signed in the presence of Polish Secretary of State of Defence, Marek Zajakala, Chief of Staff Polish Air Force, Lt. Gen. Stanislaw Targosz and Polish Air Force Lt. Gen. Magensky, on the Polish side; and Antonio R. Barberan, Vice President Sales at EADS Military Transport Aircraft Division, in the presence of Spanish Ambassador in Warsaw, Rafael Mendivil Peydro.

"We would like to thank and congratulate Polish Air Force for its professionality, and to specially mention the 6,000 flight hours in different missions under the most demanding and hard conditions performed with the C-295 in areas that extend from the Middle East to the Far East," said Barberan.

Poland is the first recurring export customer for the C-295.

EADS CASA is a leader in light and medium weight aircraft. The CN-235 and C-295 have accumulated one million flights with more than 900,000 flight hours in five continents. The C-295 is in operation with air forces from Poland, Jordan, Algeria, Finland and Spain, and orders from Brazil and Portugal will soon start being delivered.

EADS notes the C-295 is the only aircraft in its category that has been operated in real war scenarios like in the Balkans, Iraq, or Afghanistan. The plane is also a contender in the US Army and US Air Force Joint Cargo Aircraft (JCA) competition.

The C-295 is a last generation medium military transport aircraft, powered by two turboprop engines from Pratt and Whitney of Canada and sporting rear ramp access, and a payload of more than 19,000 lbs.

Source:aero-news.ne



Flights to Poland

Novea - Business in Poland

The rebirth of Lodz draws Poland's young emigrants back

On a dusty building site in the heart of Poland's unheralded second city, the skeletal remains of what were once the region's famous redbrick textile factories are being brought back to life as fashionable apartments.

These sleek modern dwellings are the latest sign that Lodz - or Wodz as it is pronounced - is giving the lie to scare stories suggesting eastern Europe is going west and staying there.

The gentrified flats are being snapped up by Polish immigrants from Britain and Ireland, people who left their country two years ago when Poland joined the European Union and now want to return home and start a new life, thanks to the higher wages they earned abroad.

"Poles in London, Berlin or Dublin are buying these flats in Lodz because they know something is happening in this city," says Dorota Uravska, who works with the Australian company developing the derelict factories.

Cities like Lodz are undergoing an economic recovery, thanks to the huge amounts of cash and foreign investment opened up by Poland's entry in the EU. Structural funds from the EU alone are worth a staggering $60bn (£31.6bn) until 2013 and Poland's economic growth remains a healthy 5 per cent. All along the two and a half miles of the recently renovated Piotrkowska Street, Europe's longest high street, the fashionable boutiques, bars and restaurants are bustling with locals as they savour the transformation of a city where half the work force was out of a job as recently as the early 1990s, after the collapse of the Soviet Union.

The present unemployment is 14 per cent and set to keep falling. Three thousand jobs were created last year alone as international companies including Gillette, Indesit and Dell moved in to take advantage of low wages and a willing workforce.

Pawel is typical of the twenty-somethings of Lodz in having worked abroad, in Scotland and Holland, but deciding to come back. "This city is definitely going places now," he said. "There was no way I could stay away for ever."

For the 800,000 inhabitants, the city's turnaround is a fitting comeback for a town that was once nicknamed Ziemia Obiecana, the Promised Land. In the latter half of the 19th century, it was the second-largest city in the Russian empire and one of central Europe's largest textile manufacturers. Almost a third of the population was Jewish, and German, Russian and even Lancashire cotton workers flocked to its booming mills.

The Second World War destroyed any hopes of Lodz retaining its multicultural heritage. As few as 4,000 of the city's 300,000 Jews survived the extermination camps, and nearly all the German families fled the Soviet army as it advanced on Berlin. Remarkably, Lodz managed to avoid bombs and shells and, with Krakow, remains one of the few major Polish cities to survive the war architecturally.

But Lodz's tragic history has also provided the city with a second valuable job-creating asset: tourism. Two hours' west of Warsaw and economically run down, for years Lodz remained far from the tourist trail. Now it is the third most visited city after Warsaw and Krakow.

The Mayor, Jerzy Kropiwnicki, believes recognising Lodz's past is the key to securing the city's future. In 2004, the city marked the 60th anniversary of the liquidation of the Lodz ghetto by opening a giant memorial commemorating those who died.

"For the past 60 years, these commemorations had been rather timid," he said. "The unexpected result of [the 2004] commemorations was that visits from Germans and Jews skyrocketed. We decided the city's past was its best asset and that we must promote Lodz as a city with roots in four cultures, German, Jewish, Polish and Russian."

Asked what he would say to people in Lodz thinking of leaving for western Europe to seek higher wages, the Mayor said: "I would say learn what you can learn in the place you are and once you have learned what you can, come back."

Source:http: By Jerome Taylor, news.independent.co.uk




Flights to Poland

Novea - Business in Poland

Poland fire department gets new equipment

Poland Volunteer Fire Company has received more than $18,000 of hydraulic rescue tools through a grant from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

The tools, purchased through the Commercial Equipment Direct Assistance Program, will aid in the extrication of victims from automobile accidents, structural collapses and other incidents, fire officials said.

The tools were in service as of Wednesday and firefighters were trained in the operation that evening, fire officials said.

Source: uticaod.com



Flights to Poland

Novea - Business in Poland