The World Bank has agreed to lend Poland $300 million to help finance the restructuring of its mining industry, a program that calls for 25,000 job cuts
Published:
22 November 2003 y., Saturday
The World Bank has agreed to lend Poland $300 million to help finance the restructuring of its mining industry, a program that calls for 25,000 job cuts, the economy ministry said Friday.
The plan by Prime Minister Leszek Miller's government is aimed at turning around an industry that lost 1 billion zlotys ($230 million) last year.
The government, which is trying to cut its budget deficit as Poland prepares to join the European Union next May, expects to cut spending on the industry -- which currently employs some 140,000 miners -- by at least 20 billion zlotys ($5.1 billion) by 2007.
The economy ministry said the government and the World Bank would sign the loan agreement in March 2004.
The first tranche of $200 million will be used to cover benefits for laid-off miners -- among them low-interest loans allowing them to retrain or set up their own businesses. The remaining $100 million will cover an environmental clean-up effort.
The Polish government is counting on EU funding to help cover the remaining cost of the restructuring drive -- estimated at 9.4 billion zlotys ($2.36 billion) between 2004 and 2006. The plans have sparked frequent and vocal protests by Polish miners.
On Monday, some 25,000 miners across the depressed southern region of Silesia staged a strike to protest the reform.
Šaltinis:
newsday.com
Copying, publishing, announcing any information from the News.lt portal without written permission of News.lt editorial office is prohibited.
The most popular articles
The financial and economic crisis has shown that reckless behaviour of banks and other financial institutions can have serious and costly consequences for Europe's economy and its people.
more »
Local services that create jobs and improve energy efficiency received a boost Thursday (2 September) when MEPs on the Industry, Research and Energy Committee approved plans for more investment.
more »
The European Commission approved the first financing decisions under the EUR 264 million 2010 allocation for the so-called Vulnerability FLEX mechanism to help the most vulnerable African, Caribbean and Pacific countries cope with the impact of the global financial crisis and economic downturn.
more »
The European Commission has today updated the list of airlines banned in the European Union to impose an operating ban on one air carrier from Ghana and to place operating restrictions on another air carrier from that country.
more »
The European Commission today approved an application from Denmark for assistance under the European Globalisation adjustment Fund (EGF).
more »
Algirdas Šemeta, EU Commissioner for Taxation, Customs Union, Anti-Fraud and Audit, will open tomorrow an international conference at the Shanghai World Expo 2010 on building bridges to facilitate trade between China and the EU.
more »
Moldova is set to receive an EU grant of up to €90 million to help it through the financial crisis, following a vote at Parliament's Committee on International Trade on Monday.
more »
Important notice: since May 2010 business surveys data are classified in accordance with an updated version of the Nomenclature of Economic Activities (NACE rev. 2) causing a potential break in series at this date.
more »
75% of Europeans think that stronger coordination of economic and financial policies among EU Member States would be effective in fighting the economic crisis, according to the Spring 2010 Eurobarometer, the bi-annual opinion poll organised by the EU.
more »
The European Commission has extended until the end of the year the liquidity support scheme for banks in Slovenia.
more »