Poland's largest bank PKO BP appoints chief executive

Poland's largest bank, state-controlled PKO BP SA, said Thursday it appointed acting CEO Rafal Juszczak as its new chief executive.

Juszczak, 38, was voted in at a supervisory board meeting late Wednesday and will take office after clearance from Poland's banking authorities, the bank said in a statement.

The bank's previous CEO Andrzej Podsiadlo resigned in October 2006.

Juszczak joined PKO BP in August 2005, and was supervisor of corporate banking operations. He earlier served seven years at Citigroup's Polish unit Bank Handlowy in Warsaw.

In April, the bank's shareholders approved a strategy for years 2007-2012 aimed at doubling the net profit by 2012. In 2006, PKO posted a full-year net profit of 2.15 billion zlotys (US$758.5 million; €565 million).

Source: iht.com

K+N wins second Danone contract in Poland

Groupe Danone has awarded Kuehne + Nagel International a contract for the operation of its new distribution center for fresh dairy products in Chorzow in the south of Poland.

Kuehne + Nagel (K+N) said the agreement marks an extension of the relationship between the two companies in Poland; where the logistics group manages Danone's other national distribution facility, near Warsaw.

The contract was implemented upon completion of the new ProLogis Park in Chorzow in April 2007, where K+N manages the 4,000 square meter warehouse Danone has leased to serve the growing consumer market in the south of Poland.

K+N provides goods' receiving services, storage, picking, copacking and just-in-time order preparation according to Danone distribution schedules. By the end of 2007, K+N said operations in the chilled warehouse will be additionally supported by modern voice-picking technology, which it claims will enable high order preparation productivity levels and efficient replenishment processes.

Piotr Stazyk, distribution manager for Danone in Poland, said: "The decision in favor of Kuehne + Nagel was based on our positive previous experience with the company. Kuehne + Nagel already manages our central and north Poland distribution centre in Blonie near Warsaw. Having both facilities under the same provider, we anticipate benefiting from synergy potentials."

David Roussiere, responsible for K+N's contract logistics activities in Poland, added: "This new contract is a confirmation of our know-how and reliability in meeting the FMCG industry's high requirements. Our solid experience in this sector combined with our regional network enables us to support companies such as Danone sustain a competitive reach in their markets, as well as supporting them in the development of operations far into Eastern Europe."

Danone has been present in Poland for over 15 years.

Source:By Leah Vyse, food-business-review.com

UBS Outsources To India And ... Poland?

What do you if you are a massive Western European company facing a dearth of qualified employees at home? If you're Swiss investment bank UBS you move to Poland!

UBS said it plans to relocate 1,000 jobs to India and Poland in the next year, due to a lack of local employees with adequate skills.

A spokeswoman for UBS confirmed the company would be create 250 jobs in Poland and 750 jobs in India initially, though the final number would depend on business demands. The company already has nearly 850 employees in Hyderabad and is set to open another office in the city.

“We are a growth company and looking for a talented and highly skilled work force,” the spokeswoman said.

UBS has nearly 80,000 employees around the world.

Unlike India, widely seen as the king of business and knowledge process outsourcing, Poland may seem an unlikely candidate for UBS. But the Swiss company is not the first to realize the huge potential of the former-communist state, where highly skilled graduates have been frustrated by a lack of jobs.



Though the new UBS division in Poland represents a tiny fraction of its overall work force, the company will use the move to see if the country is suitable for further growth.

“They want to get into private banking in eastern Europe,” said Peter Siderman, managing director at the Adecco Institute of Employment. “The company has ambitious growth plans. They will be looking forward to the next ten years.”

Sideman added that in addition to low wages and highly skilled workers, Poland has the added attraction of investment guarantees, courtesy of its membership in the European Union.

Shares in UBS were down 1.40 euros ($1.87), or 1.8%, to 75.95 euros ($101.79) in early afternoon trading in Zurich.

Source: forbers.com

WWE® Signs Deals in Poland, Serbia, Greece and Turkey

STAMFORD, Conn.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. (NYSE: WWE) today announced new breakthrough TV deals in Poland, Serbia, Greece and Turkey. The deals, across Free and Pay TV represent 196 hours of original WWE programming to four key new markets.

In Poland, “WWE RAW”, a one-hour version of the popular U.S. program “Monday Night RAW,” will be broadcast on Extreme Sports Channel, a cable channel wholly owned by Liberty Global Europe, Europe’s biggest cable TV provider. Extreme Sports Channel is available on digital cable as well as many digital satellite services, providing premium extreme sports to over 50 territories and in 12 languages.

In Greece, Multichoice Hellas will broadcast “WWE RAW” on Supersport, the only premium 24-hour sports television service available in Greece. Supersport is available terrestrially and via satellite on Nova, a DTH satellite service owned and operated by Multichoice Hellas.

In Serbia, “WWE RAW” will launch on Fox Televizija, a national commercial television network launched in November 2006 as a joint venture formed in cooperation between News Corporation and partners in Serbia.

In Turkey, Digiturk, the largest and only digital DTH satellite network operator, will broadcast “WWE RAW” on S’NEK. Digiturk offers 128 television, radio and interactive channels, including access to premium blockbuster movies and sports exhibitions.

“These television deals are milestones in the roll-out of WWE programming in Eastern and Southern Europe; it’s a direct response by program buyers who have seen the strong commercial potential of WWE throughout Europe,” said Andrew Whitaker, Deputy Chief Executive, International TV. “The TV industry has clearly seen that WWE programming has a proven track record in delivering viewers, advertisers and subscribers on a global basis.”

Additional information on World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. can be found at wwe.com and corporate.wwe.com. For our global activities, go to www.wwe.com/worldwide/.

World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. (NYSE: WWE) is an integrated media and entertainment company headquartered in Stamford, Conn., with offices in New York City, Los Angeles, Toronto and London. Additional information on the company can be found at wwe.com and corporate.wwe.com.

Source: wrestlemag.com

Poland lost the battle for vodka definition

The European Parliament decided that spirits based on bananas and grapes can also be marketed under the vodka label. Poland has been pushing for a vodka definition that only comprises spirits distilled from rye, potatoes and molasses obtained from raw sugar.

According to Andrzej Szumowski, chairman of the Polish Vodka Association, Poland as one of the biggest vodka producers in Europe wanted to prove that vodka is no ordinary alcohol, but a product distilled in accordance with strict formulas dating back to 600 years ago.

However, the definition accepted by the European Parliament includes a provision whereby vodka may also be distilled from other products, provided that the applicable information is included in the label.

Source:

Poland's PGNiG joins Scandinavian gas pipeline project UPDATE

Polish natural gas monopoly PGNiG has signed a deal to take a 15 pct stake in the construction of the Skanled gas pipeline, which could start pumping Norwegian gas to Denmark and Sweden in mid 2011.

The state-controlled firm estimates its share of investments in the 10-strong consortium, which includes German E.ON (nyse: EON - news - people ) Ruhrgas, at 500 mln zlotys.

PGNiG this year sealed a deal giving it access to gas supplies in the Norwegian segment of the North Sea, and has signed a letter of intent with Denmark's Energinet.dk to build the 'Baltic Pipe', which would connect Poland to Danish gas systems.

Each project is a part of Poland's efforts to find different sources of natural gas that can reduce its dependence on Russian deposits.

'The role in the pipeline is a further important step in gaining gas supplies for Poland from Scandinavia,' PGNiG said in a statement.

Poland's conservative government has put reducing the former communist state's reliance on energy supplies from Russia at the top of its agenda, accusing Russia of playing the energy card in its political relations with Eastern Europe.

'PGNiG wants to be in Skanled on the condition that the Baltic Pipe project will be implemented,' Poland's economy minister Piotr Wozniak told a news conference.

The construction of Skanled will start in October 2009 and the link should come on stream in the middle of 2011, he added.

Source: By Patrick Graham(Thomson Financial), forbes.com

Kazakh president promises to continue energy dialogue with Poland

Kazakhstan will continue talks with Poland on energy cooperation, Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev said.

"We are aware of Poland's interest in energy cooperation between our two countries and we will continue this joint work," he said after the Polish ambassador to Kazakhstan, Pawel Cieplak, presented his credentials at a ceremony in Astana on Tuesday.

"Kazakh-Polish relations today are marked by intensity, meaningful contacts in expanding parliamentary and ministerial ties, deepening economic and humanitarian cooperation," Nazarbayev added.
He said that the presence of a large Polish community in Kazakhstan promotes the formation of a special atmosphere in bilateral relations.

Last year trade turnover between the two countries amounted to USD 507.8 mln, with Kazakh exports to Poland at USD 204.4 mln and imports from Poland at over USD 303 mln. Kazakhstan has registered 90 companies in which Polish capital is participating.
Source:wiadomosci.onet.pl

Wizz Air launches new flights from Poland

No-frills operator Wizzar Air is to open an operational base at Poznan, in the west of Poland, and has announced the launch of two new routes to the UK.

Poznan is the airline's seventh base and from January 31, 2008 there will be flights to Doncaster Sheffield Airport and Glasgow Prestwick, complementing the existing service to Luton.

József Váradi, the airline's chief executive officer, said: "Wizz Air continues to pursue its expansion strategy in Poland with the establishment of the Poznan base early next year following the developments in Katowice, Warsaw and Gdansk. The move is expected to create hundreds of local jobs and significant revenue uplift for the tourism industry in the region."

Tickets will start from €19.99 (£13.50) one-way including fees and charges, with Wizz Air set to base a new A320 aircraft in Poznan staffed by a local crew.

Flight details:
Poznan to Robin Hood Doncaster Sheffield
Departs 2.10pm, arrives 3.25pm (Saturday)

Robin Hood Doncaster Sheffield to Poznan
Departs 9.20pm, arrives 12.30am next day (Saturday)

Poznan to Glasgow Prestwick
Departs 7.30pm, arrives 9.05pm (Friday)

Glasgow Prestwick to Poznan
Departs 9.35pm, arrives 12.45am next day (Friday)

Source:

Russia, Germany, Poland, Belarus set up railroad logistics joint venture

The railroad authorities of Russia, Germany, Poland and Belarus have signed a statement forming the Eurasia Rail Logistic joint venture.

The company will optimize cargo traffic between Russia and Western Europe on the Berlin-Warsaw-Minsk-Moscow-Nizhny Novgorod international transport corridor.

The company's charter capital will stand at RUB 1.6 mln. Russian Railroads will have a 40.1% stake in the joint venture, Railion Deutschland will have 34.9%, Polish Railroads will have 15%, and Belarusian Railroads will have 10%.
Source: gielda.wp.pl

Exhibition to boost $200m Poland-UAE trade

Dubai is to host a significant Poland-UAE trade exhibition with the aim of strengthening trade ties between Poland and the Middle East.
The Polish Business Days Exhibition, to be held this November, will showcase as many as 100 companies from the Eastern European nation, across several key industry sectors.

It will take place under the patronage of H.H. Sheikha Lubna Al Kasimi, UAE Minister of Economy, and run in conjunction with a Polish-Arab business forum.
Polish exports to the UAE increased by 52% last year, and total trade between the two countries is now valued at over $200m per annum.

"Historically, there are very strong trade ties between Poland and the Middle East, and this year's business show is designed to cement that cooperation," Jerzy Karaim, president of organisers Polexpo Exhibitions, told Arabian Business.

"As an exporting nation, Poland enjoys strong brand recognition across the region. This year, as well as re-emphasising existing relationships, we are hoping to build markets for small and medium-sized businesses that are new to the Middle East," he continued.

Poland is already well represented in the UAE, through furniture brands including MDD and PFK, and heavy industry companies such as Polimex, a building company that supplies cranes, utilities pipelines and forklift trucks to the Emirates.

Polish bus manufacturer Solaris recently announced a deal with Dubai Municipality for the provision of 225 vehicles. In addition, the company is in negotiations with Abu Dhabi Municipality to supply another batch of 225 buses for the capital.

The exhibition, to run 17-19 November, will provide a platform for four key Polish export sectors: electrical and mechanical equipment, foodstuffs, automobiles and shipping, and furniture.

"Our exports are competitive in pricing as well as in quality, and following the recent signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with the UAE government, we look forward to significantly boosting the level of trade between the two countries," Karaim added.
Source:by Andrew White,

Poland's top two refiners PKN Orlen and Grupa Lotos discuss upstream cooperation

Poland's largest two refiners, PKN Orlen and Grupa Lotos, are discussing cooperation in upstream projects, the companies stated Monday.

"In an effort to improve the security of raw materials [supplies], both companies, having included in their strategies the development of upstream projects, [Monday] discussed the possibilities of joint participation in selected projects," the statement reads.

Due to recently rising concerns regarding the security of supplies of global energy resources, PKN Orlen and Lotos are considering exchanging experiences in supplying oil to their refineries, and may jointly purchase crude in future.
"It would be aimed at better use of a joint purchase potential in relations with current and potential new suppliers," the statement reads.

Both companies also expressed the will to cooperate in realizing the Polish government's energy security policy, but emphasized that joint actions concerning Poland's strategic interests will have no impact on their competition on the Polish market.

PKN Orlen recently slowed down its efforts to gain access to oil fields, as in an updated strategy announced in early June, the investments in oil trade and upstream activity are planned at PLN 1.5 bln in comparison to a total investment plan PLN 21.2 bln.

Lotos is developing its upstream activity on the Baltic Sea, which it plans to increase from current levels of around 250,000 tonnes of oil annually to 1 mln tonnes of oil annually in 2012. The company is also attempting to explore oil fields in the Latvian and Lithuanian parts of the Baltic Sea shelf.
Source:gielda.wp.pl

Rally Poland Is Being Studied...

Now that Rally Poland has completed its 2007 run several days ago, the time has now come for FIA officials to take a closer look at the entire event.

Their job will be to scrutinise every layer in order to determine if it deserves a chance to become part of the 2008 World Rally Championship.

Three countries were proposing sites for the single available slot remaining on next year's calendar. South Africa has brought its push to an end, therefore leaving Poland in competition with Cyprus as the three-way competition has now become a duel.

After completing its appraisal, the FIA will decide which site between Poland and Cyprus meet its high standards, thereby earning a spot on the 2008 calendar. If both are up to par, then the decision-making progress will move to the next level. Of course, it is always possible that neither site receives approval.

Source: uk.eurosport.yahoo.com

Poland not budging on EU voting rights: Merkel

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said that Poland is sticking to its hardline stance and insisting changes be made to the way voting rights are shared among European Union countries.

'Fundamentally, the positions have not changed,' said Merkel, whose state holds the EU's rotating presidency until the end of the month, after talks on Saturday with Polish President Lech Kaczynski.

Poland has threatened to veto talks on a new treaty of sorely needed EU reforms because it believes it will lose clout under a proposed new voting system.

Merkel said she would continue 'intensive talks' with EU leaders this week to try to make headway on a treaty to replace the bloc's constitution, which was rejected in referendums in France and the Netherlands two years ago.

'We will try everything, but a presidency cannot succeed alone if all the other member states aren't ready to compromise,' she told reporters after talks in Luxembourg with Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker.

EU leaders meet in Brussels from Thursday to try to finalise the broad outlines of a treaty, which they want to implement by 2009, so that the issue does not undermine public confidence during the European Parliament elections.

Warsaw argues that the 'double majority' voting system under consideration transfers voting power from small and medium-sized countries to larger ones like Germany, which has twice the population of Poland.

It wants voting power to be based on the square root of of a country's population.

Merkel said that she did not consider it 'an option' to leave the issue of calculating votes open for negotiation at an intergovernmental conference planned for July to narrow down last differences over the treaty.

Juncker, the EU's longest serving leader in office, expressed optimism about the new text, saying that he saw 'more signs in favour of an agreement than discord at the summit.'

He also expressed solidarity with Merkel and said he would help her explain to his EU counterparts how important it is to 'retain the substance' of the constitution.

Source:forbes.com

Merkel urges EU treaty compromise

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has urged EU leaders to be ready to compromise on a new constitutional treaty before a crucial summit.

Mrs Merkel met Polish President Lech Kaczynski in Germany for crucial talks on the simplified treaty.

Germany, the current holder of the EU presidency, wants states to agree to a road map for a new constitution at next week's summit in Brussels.

Mr Kaczynski has threatened to veto any deal reducing Poland's voting rights.

'Time to act'

Speaking on her weekly video podcast, released just before she met with Mr Kaczynksi on Saturday, Mrs Merkel said Europe needed to "recover its ability to act".

"For [the timetable] to be agreed on, readiness to compromise on the part of everyone will be necessary," she said.

"We are working on it and thank many member states for pursuing the same goal."

She urged leaders from the EU's 27 member states to act quickly to resolve the constitutional crisis.

"We need a new contractual basis for this, but we also must not devote our attention to ourselves for too long," she said.

French and Dutch voters rejected a proposed EU constitution in 2005.

The new, simplified treaty is expected to address demands for institutional change to help the EU to operate more efficiently.

'Herculean effort'

But Mr Kaczynski has threatened to block efforts to draft it next week because of the proposed changes to the bloc's national voting system.

The BBC's Adam Easton in Warsaw says Poland currently has an extraordinarily good deal compared to its size.

However, under the "double majority" system written into the constitution three years ago, it stands to be one of the biggest losers, our correspondent says.

Poland says accepting the system would be a capitulation, because it would give its neighbour, Germany, far more weight than it has now and Poland far less.

Mr Kaczynski has therefore said he wants European leaders to discuss what he believes is a fairer alternative - calculating voting rights according to the square root of each country's population, rather than simply according to population.

If Poland is not allowed to have its say, it will use its veto, Mr Kaczynski has warned.

The president and his twin brother, Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski, say their plan "is worth dying for".

Our correspondent says the chances for an agreement next week are not looking good.

Berlin has identified seven outstanding problems to be discussed at the summit and the voting system is not among them.

Mrs Merkel has admitted it will take a "Herculean" effort to win Poland round.
Source:

Behemoth to be banned from playing in home country of Poland

A "List of bands" that are "promoting satanism" will be delivered to local councils in Poland. Their gigs are supposed to be banned.

The list is being made by Ogólnopolski Komitet Obrony przed Sektami (National Protection against Sects Committee). It will contain bands and musicians that in opinion of OKOpS members are promoting satanism. Until now it wasn't clear which bands were promoting such content and that is why they were allowed to give concerts. "We decided to help local authorities" says Ryszard Nowak, chairman of OKOpS.

As he explains together with many specialist they analyzed hundreds of bands that were playing in Poland over the last 20 years. Who will be on the list? Now we don't know exactly. But for sure we will find the heavy metal band Behemoth (who is from Poland), legendary Kat and worldwide known star Marilyn Manson. This won't be just metal bands but also rock bands, because "our analysis showed us that very often these bands are promoting satanism, calling for killings, organizing black masses or killing animals in sacrifice" explains Nowak. A complete list will be delivered to local councils shortly. Some of them are already waiting for it. "Very often, we don't know anything about bands that are playing here and thanks to this list we will be able to say which of them are dangerous" says Urszula Sienkiewicz-Nogal from Białystok city council. "I don't think that any reasonable person will let any band from this list play in their territory." she adds.

Source:http:.thegauntlet.com

Poland will not join euro zone before 2012: bank chief

Poland's national bank chief Slawomir Skrzypek said on Friday that the country would not join the euro zone before 2012.

Skrzypek said Poland is only expected to meet fiscal deficit levels required in the Masstricht Treaty in 2009, and will then enter the Exchange Rate Mechanism II (ERM II) which was designed to ensure that would-be euro zone members can orient their currency policies toward stability, and lasts two years.

"Therefore, the country could join the euro zone in 2012 at the earliest," Skrzypek said, adding that Poland would only join it when circumstances are most favorable.

At a seminar held earlier in the day to discuss the euro's influence on Poland's future, Skrzypek said the government had assigned a group of experts to study issues related to the euro zone entry. The group will issue a report on their findings by the end of 2008.

A newcomer in the European Union, Poland has been hesitant on whether to join the euro zone. Warsaw worries that the entry could slow down economic growth and has thereby taken a wait-and-see attitude towards the issue.

President Lech Kaczynski once said in 2006 that Poland would hold a referendum in 2010 on whether to join the euro zon.
Source:http: english.people.com.cn

Polish immigrants swell Scotland's new baby boom

EMMIGRANTS from eastern Europe have helped trigger a baby boom in Scotland this year, new official figures have revealed.

There were 646 more babies born in the first quarter of 2007. Of that number, one in five were born to parents from Poland, Latvia or other European Union accession nations.

It is the first time the General Register Office for Scotland has broken down its statistics to uncover the extent of the impact on Scotland's population of mass immigration from eastern Europe.

A spokesman said: "Births in Scotland went up by 646 as a whole compared with the first quarter of 2006.

"One in five of those babies were born to parents from the EU accession states.

"Of that number, the majority of babies were born to Polish parents, followed by parents from Latvia."

In the past four years, about 600,000 eastern European immigrants have arrived in the UK from the eight nations that have recently joined the EU, including Poland, which joined in 2004, and Romania and Bulgaria, which joined this year.

The Executive believes there are about 40,000 Poles living in Scotland, while the Polish Council believes there are about 50,000. The true figure could be as high as 100,000.

The figures released yesterday showed that while the birth rate in Scotland has continued to grow this year, it was outweighed by the number of deaths.

The first three months of 2007 saw 14,214 babies born, an increase of 4.8 per cent on the same period the previous year.

It continues a five-year trend and is the highest number during the first quarter of the year since 1997.

However, deaths increased by 6.3 per cent from 14,876 to 15,818, the highest total since the same period in 2000.

While the number of deaths from cancer fell by 0.6 per cent, deaths from coronary heart disease increased by 2.4 per cent and deaths from stroke by 1.9 per cent.

The figures give Scotland an estimated population of 5,116,900.

The Registrar General for Scotland, Duncan Macniven, said: "The increase in the number of deaths was disappointing, though it was partly a reflection of the unprecedentedly small number of deaths in the first quarter of 2006.

"The increase was relatively small and it is too early to suggest a change in the trend of a falling death rate."

The figures also showed that the number of marriages dropped, by 4.6 per cent from 3,493 to 3,333, and - as had been expected - the number of same-sex civil partnerships also fell.

Robert Whelan, of the Civitas think tank, said: "We have to bear in mind with immigration that we are not just looking at the numbers of adults coming into the country, but at large numbers of children being born.

"It will make a growing difference to the balance of the population because birth rates among the existing population are low. Immigrant groups have higher birth rates than the existing population."

• THE most popular names for Polish children are quite different from Jack and Sophie - the names most often chosen by parents of Scottish children.

The most popular name for a Polish baby boy is Jan, with Anna being the favourite name for a girl.

Following Jan, the names most commonly picked by Polish parents for boys are: Andrzej, Piotr, Krzysztof, Stanislaw, Tomasz, Pawel, Józef, Marcin and Marek.

For girls, the next most popular after Anna are: Maria, Katarzyna, Malgorzata, Agnieszka, Krystyna, Barbara, Ewa, Elzbieta and Zofia.

Source: By ALISON HARDIE, news.scotsman.com

Promises to strengthen ties with Poland

Polish and Estonian leaders vowed in Warsaw on June 13 to strengthen political, energy and transport links between Poland and in Baltic EU states, Deutsche Presse-Agentur (dpa) reported. "We need more interconnections," Estonian Prime Minister Andrus Ansip said following talks with Polish Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski.
"We agree the Baltic states are like and isolated island in the European Union - we agree we have to build up our interconnections," Ansip was quoted as saying, throwing his support behind a so-called "energy bridge" hooking up the power grids of Poland and Lithuanian. The linkage will plug in all three Baltic EU members including Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania into the EU-wide electrical power grid.
The leaders also agreed a planned new reactor at Lithuania's existing Ignalina nuclear power facility would further boost energy security in the EU's Baltic region. Plans call for the new Ignalina facility to open in 2015. The existing Soviet-built Ignalina reactor currently serves some 70 percent of Lithuania's energy needs, but is slated to be closed later this decade under an agreement with the European Union.
Baltic states Estonia and Latvia were the first to join Lithuania in the project, estimated to cost five-six billion Euro. Poland and her Baltic partners are particularly interested in reducing heavy energy dependence on Russia and diversifying energy sources in order to boost energy security in the EU's north-eastern corner. Polish Prime Minister Kaczynski also endorsed the building of the controversial Via Baltica highway linking Poland and the Baltics. The European Commission and environmental protection groups object to the existing plans calling for the highway to be built through the protected Rospuda Valley and wetlands.
Turning to ongoing controversy over the European Union's future blanket constitution, Polish Prime Minister Kaczynski said his country fully supported "strengthening" and introducing greater efficiency within the EU. But Poland has come under heavy pressure recently to drop its objection to a voting system in the existing draft of the EU's future constitution.
With a population upwards of 38 million, Poland was the largest of the 10 EU newcomers to have joined the bloc in 2004. Estonia, with a population of roughly 1.4 million is among the bloc's smallest and is one of 18 member states which has already formally approved the EU's draft constitution.
Passage of the constitutional treaty was shelved after voters in France and the Netherlands torpedoed it in separate referenda in 2005. Current holder of the EU's rotating presidency Germany has jump-started work on the project. All 27 members must give their seal of approval in order for the document to come into force. Key decisions on the issue are expected at an upcoming EU Summit in Brussels June 21-22, but Poland's possible veto could stall further progress.

Source:neurope.eu

GE Energy provides wind turbines for two projects in Poland

GE Energy has supplied 39 wind turbines for two new wind farms in northern Poland that will add a total of 58.5MW of wind power capacity to the country's electricity grid.

Wind Farm Kisielice, near the city of Grudziadz, consists of 27 GE Energy 1.5MW wind turbines. Wind Farm Malbork, near the city of Malbork, includes 12 of GE's 1.5MW machines. The Kisielice project currently is in the commissioning phase, and 26 of the wind turbines have entered operation. The Malbork project is still under construction. Both projects are being developed by Iberdrola Energia Odnawialna, a Polish company owned by the Spanish energy company Iberdrola.

Source: windtech-international.com

Poland hopes Euro 2012 success will boost World Expo bid

Poland hopes that the success of its bid to hold the Euro 2012 football championships will boost its chances of being picked to host the World Expo the same year, a government minister said Friday.

Deputy Culture Minister Krzysztof Olendzki said that the victory of Poland's joint bid with Ukraine for the football tournament was a clear sign in favour of the city of Wroclaw, which is in the race to host Expo 2012.

"The decision to award Poland and Ukraine the football championships proves that Poland is now seen as a country with the full potential required to organise major international events," Olendzki told reporters.

"The two events, Euro 2012 and Expo 2012, are mutually stimulating and complementary," added the minister, who is piloting Wroclaw's bid.

European football's governing body, UEFA, picked Poland and Ukraine as the Euro 2012 organisers in April.

Wroclaw, in southwest Poland, is one of the match venues.

It is also a high-tech hotspot, and draws more foreign investment than any other Polish city.

In the race to host the World Expo, a major showcase for participating countries, Wroclaw is up against Tangiers, in Morocco, and the South Korean city of Yeosu.

Both Wroclaw and Yeosu lost out to Shanghai in China in the bidding to host Expo 2010.

The International Exhibitions Bureau -- which chooses the host city for an event dating back to the London's 1851 Great Exhibition -- is due to receive detailed bid presentations in Paris on Tuesday.

The bureau's 98 member states are set to pick the winner at a meeting on November 26-27.

Olendzki said that Poland could attract 12 million visitors if it hosts both the World Expo and Euro 2012.

The Polish bidders dismissed suggestions that plans to host two events in the same year would spark jitters in the International Exhibitions Bureau, comparing their plans with those of Spain in 1992.

"Two events in the same year could be an advantage for Wroclaw's bid. In 1992, Spain was able to hold the World Expo in Seville as well the Olympics in Barcelona," said Jaroslaw Obremski, deputy mayor of Wroclaw.

Source:eubusiness.com

Euro for Poland in 2012 at earliest

Poland could adopt the bloc's common currency the euro in 2012 at the earliest, a full eight years after the country's EU entry, Poland's central bank (NBP) chief Slawomir Skrzypek said Friday in Warsaw.

The central banker said he was optimistic Poland would meet the Maastricht Treaty criteria for the public deficit by 2009, preparing the way for two years in the ERM2 currency mechanism prior to the switch from the Polish zloty to the euro. Poland's Minister of Finance Zyta Gilowska recently vowed Poland would stick to the euro conversion criteria agreed with the EU regarding the public deficit. The European Central Bank has put a 3% of GDP ceiling on the public deficit as a major prerequisite for euro adoption.

In Poland, this year's public deficit is expected not to exceed the 3.4% of GDP agreed with the EU. In 2008, the deficit will stand at 3.2% of GDP, while in 2009 it is expected to shrink to 2.9% of GDP, according to Poland's Ministry of Finance. NBP chief Skrzypek also signaled that an expert report on Poland's readiness for euro adoption will publish its findings by the end of 2008. (monstersandcritics.com)
Source:www.bbj.hu

Warsaw (Puls Biznesu) –Minister of Labor Anna Kalata signed agreement in hope Hindu employees will come to Poland.

There are too few workers in Poland. Hindu employees may be a remedy to this problem. An agreement was signed between India and Poland represented by Vayalar Ravi, Hindu Minister of Foreign Affairs and Anna Kalata, Minister of Labor to make the life of Hindu workers in Poland easier.

“The agreement will stop all limits in migration of Hindu inhabitants to Poland. They will be able to find a job in sectors including, among others, construction or agriculture”, Vayalar Ravi enumerated.

Today, about 3,000 Hindu workers live in Poland. The number may now grow.

“We estimate that about 800,000 Poles have left the country to find job in other EU countries. We must replace them somehow”, Anna Kalata said.

The agreement concerns not only employees but also companies. It will be easier for them to invest in Poland or start joint ventures with Polish partners. IT sector will have the biggest chances here.

“This is one of the fastest growing sectors in Poland. Hindu companies will be able to enter our market much easier than before”, Anna Kalata said.

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