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Gazeta Wyborcza; Electoral Gazette
Topic Started: Mar 2 2014, 05:17 PM (809 Views)
Hashburgers
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Edited by Eryk, Mar 22 2014, 01:16 AM.
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Eryk
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Polish PM: 'It's time to show Ukrainians who their real friends are'
Poland's prime minister called for a strong response internationally following the Russian parliament agreeing to President Putin's request for powers to send armed forces into Ukraine.
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"The international community must exert the strongest pressure on Russia," Donald Tusk said after meeting with foreign and defense ministers in Warsaw on the rapidly deteriorating situation in Ukraine.

"We must give a very clear signal that Europe and the world will not tolerate acts of aggression or intervention," Tusk said, adding that, "it's time the people of Ukraine were shown who their true friends are".

Tusk called for a meeting of the EU's European Council to discuss a response to Russian senators voting unanimously to give President Putin powers to send troops into "the territory of Ukraine".

Jaroslaw Kaczynski, leader of Law and Justice (PiS), Poland's largest opposition party, also called for international security organizations to convene and a "response to Russia's unprecedented steps towards Ukraine".

Kaczynski said that the Polish government and president must take appropriate measures to ensure security "against the escalating conflict on the vicinity of our borders, threatening unforeseeable consequences." A Kremlin spokesman said that Russia hopes there will be no further escalation and that President Putin has not yet decided if he will send troops into Ukraine. The UK has called an urgent meeting of the UN Security Council, which meets on Saturday evening.

Source; Originally posted by Hashburgers
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Eryk
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Polish Ministry of Transport Resurrects Plans of High Speed Rail

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WARSAW, POLAND (August 2014) -- Counting down the days to the arrival of its final Pendolino high-speed train, Poland's Polish State Railways (PKP) continues to struggle under an increasingly saturated market, officials say. PKP IC found itself "nearly insolvent" in the first and second quarters in 2012 two years ago, after significant drops in ridership and company debtors were slow to pay back their debts. Since then, little has changed in the Polish state railway carrier's fate.

Whilst PKP officials claim vast improvements from state investment and rising revenues - lowering the current account deficit somewhat subsidized by the government - passengers say there is much to be desired. Increased journey times, rising fares, and grossly overcrowded trains is hemorrhaging away the company's customers.

Poland's new Minister of Infrastructure and Development Elżbieta Bieńkowska revived speculation of a renewed interest in developing a high speed network, after the previous Minister of Transport (existing prior to restructuring into the Ministry of Infrastructure and Development) killed a conceptual proposal for a "Y" shaped network extending from Warsaw to the West of the country, connecting Poznan, Wroclaw, and Kalisz with a high speed network.

In a press briefing the Polish government announced however that it will be moving forward with a complex and planned high speed network scheme with an approximate date of completion of 2030. Funding would be drawn from the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) and the cohesion funds dedicated to Poland for high speed rail development. The Ministry stated that the high speed rail program would be conducted in the context of broader railway modernization.

The railway modernization and high speed rail plan would itself coincide with additional funding to complete highway and expressway projects currently ongoing throughout Poland. "As planning stages have concluded, and almost all road infrastructure projects are currently nearing completion or in construction, future infrastructure investment is being planned in railways as a part of a broader developmental plan," read the statement provided by the ministry.
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Tusk Backtracks on Cancelled Warship Program

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WARSAW, POLAND (August 2014) -- Standing motionless among Poland's dying shipbuilding industry is the legacy of a cancelled program to modernize the Polish Navy. The country's shipbuilding industry has been a symbol of the might of its socialist-era economy, with many Poles nostalgic of an economy based on heavy industry which employed hundreds of thousands. Nationalistic tendencies have flared over the issue, after the European Union directed three Polish shipyards who were nearly insolvent to pay back hundreds of millions in "illegal" state aid which subsidized their operations.

Gdańsk Shipyard, which itself employed over 20,000 workers at its peak, now employs less than 2,200. Fought for by the opposition Law and Justice and supported heavily by the Solidarity trade union, the shipyard has survived as a mere skeleton of its former self. The ordoliberal incumbent government with a stated intention of moving away from heavy industry has done little to remedy the situation, until now, under which an interesting blend of circumstances are pushing Warsaw toward restructuring the former giants of Poland's industrial economy and renewing production.

A slowing economy, rising unemployment rate, and need for modernization of the Polish Navy have brought about rumors of a possible government-led renationalization of three Polish shipyards and restructuring under a new business model in accordance with EU regulations. According to officials within the Polish Ministry of National Defense, plans to resurrect the dead Polish Gawron corvette project are also well under way.

"Modernization efforts have brought about the necessity to produce local quality defense products and solutions for the Polish Navy to ensure it can fulfill its mission of securing Polish seas and assistance to its allies," said a spokesperson for the DPZ, the Ministry's procurement and armament acquisition arm. The German-Polish designed corvettes - 7 in total - were cancelled in early 2012 due to cost overruns.

Local experts in Warsaw based-think tanks however suggest that the Crimean crisis has shifted Polish priorities from defense-cutting to defense spending. "We have already seen calls by President Komorowski to the Sejm to save defense spending in this time of austerity; recently Poland introduced its highest defense budget in history as well," said a defense commentator. Indeed since the Crimean crisis Poland has announced a plan to either modernize or replace the current Su-22M Fitter aircraft in service, quicken the pace of selecting a supplier of surface-to-air missiles for an integrated air defense network, and rumors of Poland joining the F-35 program have also abounded.

Seeing opportunity in resurrecting a dying industry through a new naval modernization program, it is no surprise that Prime Minister Tusk's government is moving toward restarting modernization programs of the Polish Navy. Thus far the Polish Ministry of National Defense has stated it will restart consultations with the German government and German contractors regarding intensified defense cooperation, which could also include naval modernization.
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Poland to Move Toward Euro Adoption

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WARSAW, POLAND (August 2014) -- Poland's incumbent government will be quickening Poland's integration with the European Union said a spokesperson from the Prime Minister's Chancellery earlier today. According to statements from within the Polish government, the government is exploring adoption of the Euro sometime past 2016 and before 2020.

Recent statements come some weeks after the Chairman of the National Bank of Poland suggested that Poland should explore joining the Euro immediately in order to anchor itself closer to Western Europe - specifically France and Germany - after Russian aggression against Ukraine in Crimea. Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk responded that his government would move toward joining the Euro "when it is safe" however was otherwise vague in answering questions on whether that means adopting the Euro will be further delayed.

According to analysts Poland's largest hurdle to joining the Euro - reiterated by the Prime Minister himself - is the constitutional change required to adopt the currency, alongside the inflexibility of the European Exchange Rate Mechanism, which Mark Belka, Poland's National Bank chief suggested Poland should seek to avoid. In the current session of Parliament a 2/3 required majority to change Poland's constitution would be very difficult to find, and would require unanimous support from the government coalition, several independents, and two center-left parties in the Sejm.

According to sources within the Ministry of Finance, Poland intends on moving towards fulfilling convergence criteria by at least 2015-2016, which include meeting the maximum 2.5% inflation rate and maximum 3% of GDP deficit targets as per new criterion. Poland currently fulfills two other criterion, including a an acceptable debt-to-GDP ratio scheduled to fall after the approval of a complex pension reform and stable long-term interest rates. Polish officials familiar with EU policies say that the country may seek to convince other eurozone members to allow Poland to join without being a member of ERM II.
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National Broadband Network in Consideration, Says Tusk

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WARSAW, POLAND (August 2014) -- Poland is considering the implementation of a national broadband development plan according to the country's Prime Minister, in order to exceed targets by the European Union for availability of broadband to its citizens. "We are considering the costs and weighing the benefits of pursuing this ultimately expensive proposal," said Tusk during a press conference addressing the country's economic position.

According to Polish authorities, substantial investment due to support from the European Union has provided some 37% of Polish citizens with the ability to subscribe to broadband internet with speeds of up to 30 mb/s. Poland aims to exceed targets and see to it that all citizens have access to affordable high-speed internet by the next decade. Authorities clarified that any major investment project would seek to revamp existing internet networks in Poland, mimicking Australia's plan which is failing under pressure from the incumbent coalition government.

"The costs associated with this type of network will, without EU support, would be prohibitive," said Tusk. He clarified however that successful appropriation of funding could result in a highly beneficial program for research and development, as well as information technology in the country. "The merits are there, we are merely seeking to weigh them against the cost as well as considering the future; right now we are tending toward a roll-out of a new policy by late September," he concluded.

According to studies conducted by "Broadband Coverage in Europe in 2011," only 72% of Polish homes had access to basic broadband providing speeds of only 144kbps. Statistics tended to be better for major urbanized centers, where development of FTTP systems was beginning however was still below average. "Poland is lacking in its overall coverage; if a national plan to develop fibre-to-the-premises connections is launched the inequality created by competition for richer urban areas would be eliminated, and Poland could bypass the development of increasingly obsolete systems," said an electrical engineer professor at the Warsaw Institute of Technology.
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Poland Moves on Healthcare and Pension Reform to Curb Expenditures

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WARSAW, POLAND (October 2014) -- Poland's government reaffirmed its commitment to go through with its controversial pension reform albeit with serious modifications to the proposal to further reduce costs. According to watchdogs within the country, Poland's deficit is slated to lower itself to 2.87% in 2015, however the government says that without more robust economic growth and further reductions it will remain unable to meet the legal requirement of public debt being no higher than 55% of GDP. Thus far experts say the government has managed to avoid responsibility through altering the method of calculating public debt; the IMF and World Bank have already stated that Poland has crossed its legal threshold however.

Moving forward Poland will need "deeper reforms to be enacted before the end of this year in order to substantially reduce the budget deficit," said the country's Prime Minister. According to experts, this means seeing to it that a controversial pension reform which would lower Poland's debt by nearly $40 billion through a partial nationalization of pension funds and a debt cancellation scheme passes. The Ministry of Labour and Social Policy released a statement saying that it is preparing a comprehensive pension scheme reform to follow, which would merge Poland's farmer's social insurance fund abbreviated to KRUS, and the national social insurance fund known as ZUS into one organization.

Vocal opposition emerged from other parties in Parliament, including the government's junior coalition partner, the People's Party - or PSL - which traditionally relies on rural votes. Donald Tusk refused to back down from the proposals in a press conference later that day, stating that they are absolutely crucial to solving the nation's budgetary shortfall. "The large rural population contributes only some 10% towards the country's social insurance, while taking out over 40% of the funding, requiring urban populations and the government to massively subsidize farmer's welfare programs," said the Prime Minister.

The proposal reform has created serious issues within the coalition, the second such crisis in the current parliamentary four year term which began in late 2011. After a resounding victory in the European Elections against its political opponents however, political commentators say that Poland's largest party may be more inclined to risk temporary fallout ahead of of the 2015 Parliamentary Elections to secure its own majority. "There are other parties - including the liberal Your Movement - which could easily fill in the spot of PSL as junior coalition partner for the rest of this term, allowing Tusk to push through much needed reforms quickly and work on repairing any fallout thereafter for the rest of the year," said a commentator from a Warsaw-based think tank.
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Cabinet Approves Future Military Modernization Expenditures

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WARSAW, POLAND (November 2014) -- As annual celebrations abounded throughout Poland's capital and major cities, Poles enjoyed their country's 96th Independence Day. On November 11th, 1918, Poland officially declared its independence from the same three countries who divided it 123 years before; Germany, Austria - later Austria-Hungary - and Russia. Indeed, the announcement of expanded funding for Poland's military was hardly coincidental.

Poland's cabinet approved expanded military expenditures several days prior, announced by Prime Minister Tusk and President Komorowski in a rare live televised speech conducted by both men. Aside from highlighting known issues and touching upon planned healthcare reforms and a new energy policy meant to lower Poland's reliance on coal and lessen its dependence on Russian natural gas, a large segment was devoted to the country's military and planned modernization.

Poland's Prime Minister confirmed in the televised address that Poland's cabinet has given the National Ministry of Defense the go-ahead to seek extra-ordinary modernization expenditures in order to pay for various procurement measures, opening the door to using the country's national budget to supplement additional modernization. "Recent efforts that may have resulted in any lost capabilities are merely temporary - in order to ensure this, the Polish government has approved additional funding for the 2015-2019 period to intensify military modernization," said Tusk. According to authorities, first steps are currently being made to replace Poland's aging tank fleet, with talks with Spain for the purchase of up to 108 Leopard 2A4 tanks on the verge of completion, and similar talks with Greece and Germany ongoing.

Poland's Ministry of National Defense released a flurry of tenders in recent months, including one highly unexpected one for the purchase of up to 72 new fighters for the Polish Air Force. According to authorities the Rafale, F-18 Super Hornet, and F-16E/F have been entered into the competition. Sources within the Polish government have already confirmed that it is highly likely that in early 2015 Poland will commit itself to a purchase of at least 48 F-35 aircraft to be delivered in the 2020-2022 period, most likely to replace the current 48 F-16 Block 52+ aircraft in service.

Bumar Łabędy, a major Polish defense contractor, also confirmed that on request of the Polish military, a new vehicle based on a complete overhaul of the T-72 chassis is being developed, providing Poland's Army with a heavy armored personnel carrier capable of operating in both high and low intensity conflicts and urban areas alongside armored vehicles. The company also confirmed the beginning of mass-production for the Anders light expeditionary tank and modern IFV.
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Ruling Party Gains in Recent Polls

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WARSAW, POLAND (January 2015) -- Poland's ruling Civic Platform (Platforma Obywatelska - PO) has been steadily gaining above its right-wing opposition according to a most recent poll conducted by the Warsaw-based CBOS polling institute. According to the most recent poll, a total of five parties would enter parliament if elections were held this month, with a newcomer - the Congress of the New Right, a colorful libertarian-conservative party led by an equally colorful politician, Janusz Korwin-Mikke.

At least a third of voters remain undecided ahead of the elections, a position which is likely to change according to analysts. With elections due in October, Poland's ruling party and its coalition partner - the Polish People's Party (Polskie Stronnictwo Ludowe - PSL), have been fighting an increasingly insurgent opposition after a major economic slow down in 2013 and 2014 threatened a come back of the polarizing Jarsolaw Kaczynski and his party, Law and Justice ( Prawo i Sprawiedliwość - PiS). Poland's increasingly favorable economic climate however, is helping improve support for Donald Tusk and his party.

Poland outperformed predictions significantly in 2014 when its economy grew 4.4%, one of the fastest rates in Europe. A successful pension reform and lowering of public debt will see Poland's debt to GDP ratio fall to 48% in 2015. Growth is also expected to pick up in 2015, with current predictions standing at 4.62%. Poland's National Bank has however predicted growth in excess of 5%, citing the planned announcement of a major energy policy initiative and the distribution of remaining EU cohesion funds as factors favoring increased growth.

Recent polls have most likely given Prime Minister Donald Tusk a sigh of relief. Described as a master politician and kingmaker, Tusk has won eight elections without exception since he took power. After a worrying slow down in 2013 however, the party's future was put into question when at the height of the crisis Jaroslaw Gowin, the Minister of Justice, split from the ruling party and threatened the thin majority Tusk had managed to wrestle out in 2011. According to observers, if growth and employment statistics accelerate, and unpopular reforms are quickly pushed through, PO could see a successful electoral run in October of this year.
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New Arrow 2 Batteries and F-16s to Arrive in 2016

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WARSAW, POLAND (March 2015) -- Poland's Ministry of National Defense confirmed on Sunday that negotiations with the Israeli government and associated companies have concluded on the topic of a missile and anti-aircraft defense system. According to Polish authorities, the Israeli government won the first tender and was selected over the American-offered MEADS system as well as the Patriot PAC-3. France's bid through Eurosam also proved unsuccessful, but was ranked second behind the winner; Israel with its Arrow 2 missile defense system.

The government has confirmed it will be concluding a contract to purchase an undisclosed amount of Arrow 2 missile batteries, which will be operated by the Polish Army under a soon-to-be-formed integrated command center for missile and aircraft defense. Polish defense officials have cited spiking tensions in Ukraine as the need to accelerate the modernization of the country's aged defense systems. In a press conference with Israel companies, Poland's chief of the Department of Arms Policy confirmed that the country will also be placing early orders for the Barak II anti-aircraft missile system, which can intercept aircraft, anti-ship missiles, and unmanned aerial vehicles.

A second unexpected tender was for 72 fighter aircraft, which was won by Lockheed Martin with a bid proposing the F-16E/F variant - the most advanced version of the new fighter designed for combat in the 21st century. According to a spokesperson by the Polish Air Force, "the tender was launched in order to maintain capabilities and free up the still good MiG-29s for operations in other countries, hopefully allowing for a more permanent Baltic Air policing arrangement by 2017." Poland's Air Force has repeatedly stated that it needs at least 120 modern combat aircraft to successfully preform the role it has been assigned. According to defense officials, an export license as already been submitted to the United States Congress and is expected to be approved by the end of the month, clearing the purchase to move forward.

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