Poland's GDP Growth May Be Hampered As Result of Flood

28 May 2010

The flood, paralyzing the lives of Poles in several provinces, may affect both retail sales and industrial output results, BNP Paribas Fortis economist Marcin Mroz says. However, the economist stresses that Poland's economic situation is quite good as at the same time the economy recorded pay rises in real terms and as Poles consider their financial situation as positive and their propensity to purchase is improving. Pekao bank economist Wojciech Matysiak expects May economic indices to get worse not because of the flood but because Poles will have to pay higher installments of loans taken in foreign currencies as the zloty is weakening to major currencies. Full Article

Eastern Europe After The Tragedy In Smolensk

26 April 2010

Last week I was one of the legions of the stranded. First I was trapped by the Eyjafjallajökull eruption in Ukraine and then I found a car to Warsaw on the Monday after the service to commemorate the victims of the Smolensk crash in Kraków.There were still so many people to bury, with thousands watching the funeral of Ryszard Kaczorowski, the last president on the wartime government-in-exile, on a giant TV screen in the main square. But what struck me most was the candle wax, which was underfoot everywhere within two-hundred metres of the presidential palace... Full Article

Mourning in Poland: What to Expect

12 April 2010

A minute of silence was observed before the opening whistle of Saturday's Real Madrid-Barcelona match in memory of the victims of the air catastrophe in Russia, which killed the president of Poland and his wife, along with more than 90 other people. The match, which was watched by millions around the world, was broadcast in Poland without commentary in accordance with the official national state of mourning being observed throughout Poland.The players of both teams played wearing black armbands in memory of those killed in the crash.

All public celebrations and entertainment events in Poland have been cancelled during the mourning period, which took effect at 6 p.m. Central European Time Saturday and will continue through 16 April. In addition to flags being flown at half staff and newspapers printed in black and white, no plays, concerts, festivals, public celebrations or sporting events will be held during the period of official grieving.National mourning periods of a week or more have only occurred twice before in the history of Poland: from 3 to 8 April 2005, following the death of Pope John Paul II, and from 4 to 18 October 1944, after the collapse of the Warsaw Uprising.

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Polish President Killed In Plane Crash

11 April 2010

Poles wept in the streets after a plane crash claimed the lives of President Lech Kaczynski, his wife and senior military figures. Tens of thousands of people, many in tears, placed candles and flowers at the presidential palace in central Warsaw.Many called the crash Poland's worst disaster since World War II.Scores of senior figures from the Polish government and military also died when the presidential plane crashed as it approached an airport near the city of Smolensk.Officials said there were no survivors when the jet crashed as it approached Smolensk airport.Russia's Emergency Ministry said there were 96 dead - 88 of them members of a Polish state delegation to the nearby Katyn forest, scene of a Polish massacre during WW2.

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Poland-Euro 2012 Warsaw hosts Euro 2012 draw

09 February 2010

WARSAW, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) -- Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk Sunday attended the drawing of Euro 2012 qualifying groups in Warsaw's Palace of Culture. Present at the gala were UEFA president Michel Platini and European Parliament's Chairman Jerzy Buzek. "Today the eyes of football Europe are turned to Warsaw. We've waited for this day for almost three years, from the moment UEFA decided that the 2012 European Soccer Championship will take place in our country and Ukraine,"... Full Article

Czechs, Poles signal cautious approach to euro entry

09 February 2010

PRAGUE/WARSAW (Reuters) - Poland and the Czech Republic eased away from any notion of quick euro adoption on Monday, approving convergence plans that looked set to delay euro zone membership until the second half of next decade. The decisions follow a year of vanishing euro hopes for European Union newcomers after painful economic downturns caused budget deficits to balloon far beyond the level required to swap out their local currencies. Full Article