“Red tape will swallow EU subsidies” screams the headline in Dziennik Gazeta Prawna.
The daily quotes a report commissioned by the Regional Development Ministry, which says that one third of EU subsidies for the unemployed, senior workers who intend to improve their qualifications and individuals who want to set up their own companies, will, in fact, be spent on managing EU financed projects.
In 2010, Poland will receive 11 billion euro from the European Union to boost employment and organize vocational training, of which 4.5 billion euro will be absorbed by administration costs, writes Dziennik.
The reason why such a huge part of the EU subsidies is consumed by bureaucracy is the lack of standards in granting them, which enables training companies to overprice their services. The Regional Development Ministry, however, is planning to reduce the amount of money spent on administration, writes Dziennik.
Deputy Prime Minister Waldemar Pawlak is going to run for presidency, writes Polska The Times.
The leader of the Polish Peasant’s Party is to officially announce his decision at the party’s convention in Warsaw on 20 March. Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s decision not to take part in the 2010 presidential elections has prompted the coalition party to choose Pawlak as its candidate, writes Polska. Thus, the risk of both Prime Minister and his deputy running for the highest post in the country was eliminated and the Civic Platform and Polish Peasant’s Party coalition is not endangered. Pawlak’s political supporters hope that his participation in the presidential race will help the party gain more votes in the local elections at the end of the year.
The 51-year-old Waldemar Pawlak, who is currently holding the office of Economy Minister, served twice as Prime Minister of Poland and President of the Polish Peasant’s Party. He is a long-time commander of the Polish Volunteer fire department.
About one thousand American troops from the 101st Airborne Division will join Polish contingent in Afghanistan, reveals the daily Gazeta Wyborcza.
In the second half of 2010 the US Army will also sent an additional infantry battalion to the Ghazni province, which is controlled by the allied American and Polish troops. Soon the Polish contingent in Afghanistan will also be enlarged to 2,600 soldiers, which means that in the summer the joint forces in the Ghazni province will number 3,600 soldiers. According to Gazeta Wyborcza, the submission of American troops to the Polish commanders in the strategic region of Afghanistan is advisable because it will help integrate the two military groups. The decision to do it was taken by the US Army which appreciates tactical skills of Polish commanders.
“Atomic race for 10 billion euro” titles its article Rzeczpospolita. France, the US, South Korea, Japan and the Czech Republic are competing to build a nuclear station in Poland. The winner will become a partner of PGE Polska Grupa Energetyczna, the largest electricity company in Poland, and will participate in what is said to be the most lucrative Polish investment in years. American General Electric Hitachi and French Elecricite de France are the main competitors in the 10 billion euro worth race, which has also been entered for by Japanese Westinghouse, Czech CEZ and Korean Electric Power. PGE, which wants to hold at least 51 shares in the investment, is planning to choose an associate by the end of the year. The final decision, however, will be taken by the Polish government, writes Rzeczpospolita. (mg)