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Switch to the Euro may lead to higher inflation
According to a report prepared by the National Bank of Poland NBP the structural conditions of the Polish economy bear considerable risks which can cause higher inflation in case the country switches to the Euro. The report suggests that adoption...

Warsaw spends record amount to prepare for Beijing
Poland has spent a record USD 134 million in preparing for the Beijing Games local media reported last week. This is almost as much in 2008 as in the two previous summer Olympics combined. The amount of money spent is...

Kaczynski to visit Prague
If analysts were asked a months ago whether the Polish President Lech Kaczynski would support the EU treaty reform an answer would be rather negative than positive. Kaczynski has repeatedly called his signing of the accord pointless and was postponing...

Warsaw working on its first satellite
 Poland intends to launch its first ever artificial satellite in four years local press reported. The satellite is planned to be placed at the height of near 700 kilometre above the North Pole. The primary goal will consist in photographic documentation of the area...

Warsaw denies any link between shipyard issue EU reform treaty
 Polands Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski on July 14 denied the allegation that Warsaw is going to trade the ratification of the European Union reform treaty in exchange for EUs support to Polish shipyards agencies said. We didnt tie and we are not planning to...

Consumer prices rise 0.2% in June 2008
 According to the Central Statistical Office the price index of consumer goods and services for June 2008 increased by 0.2 percent as related to May 2008. In total prices of consumer goods and services in the second quarter of 2008 increased by 1.4 percent...

WSE finds IPO market keeps growing dynamically in H1 2008
During the first half of 2008 a total of 57 new companies made their debut on the markets organised by the Warsaw Stock Exchange WSE . The total value of those offerings exceeded 7.4 billion Polish zloty. 23 companies including 3 foreign-based were...

Warsaw Kabul strengthen ties
On 14 July the Minister of Foreign Affairs Rados#322;aw Sikorski met with Afghan Energy and Water Minister Ismail Khan who is paying a visit to Poland at the personal invitation of the Minister of Foreign Affairs. Ismail Khan who was one of the leaders...

Jajah launches VoIP service to all Central European states
Global Internet-based telephony company Jajah has announced the launch of Jajah Direct a PC-free Voice Over IP call service in the Poland Czech Republic Hungary and Slovakia media reported on July 4. The company claims to offer incredibly low cost international calls from any...

Rice tries to salvage missile talks with Warsaw
Following the meeting with the US State Secretary Condoleezza Rice on July 7 Polands Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said he still thought an agreement was possible on the US proposed missile-defence system as long as Washington accepts the Polish standpoint. Poland made an alternative request...

Commission oks a 48.3 million Euro loan to Sharp
The European Commission has authorised under EC Treaty state aid rules 48.3 million Euro of aid which the Polish authorities intend to grant to Sharp Manufacturing Poland Sp. belonging to the Japanese Sharp Corporation for the setting up of a...

Poland losing tourists to its strong currency
The Polish zloty has risen much of the year gaining some seven percent against the Euro since early 2008. Polands strong currency is keeping tourists away and those who come often opt for cheaper hotels and meals. Some 10 percent...

Consultations held with Moscow on bilateral ties
On June 24 political consultations between Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Vladimir Titov and Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland Andrzej Kremer took place in Warsaw. Titov also met with Polish Minister...

NBP increases interest rates 0.25% to contain inflation
Considering the annual growth of consumer prices forecast in the June projection higher than expected and the inflationary pressure in the coming quarter the Monetary Policy Council of National Bank of Poland NBP decided to increase the NBP interest rates...

Govt says farmers to benefit from Brussels summits proposals
The proposals contained in the final document of the Brussels summit are advantageous for Polish farmers said Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk. According to Tusk The proposals contained in the final document of the Brussels summit will help Polish farmers....

Commission oks a 48.3 million Euro loan to Sharp
The European Commission has authorised under EC Treaty state aid rules 48.3 million Euro of aid which the Polish authorities intend to grant to Sharp Manufacturing Poland Sp. belonging to the Japanese Sharp Corporation for the setting up of a...

Poland losing tourists to its strong currency
The Polish zloty has risen much of the year gaining some seven percent against the Euro since early 2008. Polands strong currency is keeping tourists away and those who come often opt for cheaper hotels and meals. Some 10 percent fewer tourists have...

Consultations held with Moscow on bilateral ties
On June 24 political consultations between Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Vladimir Titov and Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland Andrzej Kremer took place in Warsaw. Titov also met with Polish Minister of Foreign Affairs Radoslaw...

Govt says farmers to benefit from Brussels summits proposals
The proposals contained in the final document of the Brussels summit are advantageous for Polish farmers said Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk. According to Tusk The proposals contained in the final document of the Brussels summit will help Polish farmers. We shall not permit...

NBP increases interest rates 0.25% to contain inflation
Considering the annual growth of consumer prices forecast in the June projection higher than expected and the inflationary pressure in the coming quarter the Monetary Policy Council of National Bank of Poland NBP decided to increase the NBP interest rates...

Parties urge President to give up
The new refusal by Polish President Lech Kaczynski to sign into law the ratification of the Lisbon Treaty by the Parliament raised tensions in the countrys political life. On June 30 Kaczynski told the daily newspaper Dziennik that he would...

Washington says it will keep seeking the deal
The United States remains committed to reaching a deal with Poland on the deployment of a missile defence system the US State Department deputy spokesman Tom Casey said on July 1. The United States however has not ruled out alternate...

Argument erupts over intelligence archives
On July 1 a major argument erupted between the leaders of Verification Commission of the Polish Military Intelligence Service WSI and the government. The stumbling rock was over the removal of files under the control the Commission by the Defense...

PGNiG Gazprom have sealed a deal
Gas giant PGNiG and Russias Gazprom announced a deal on the line-up of the supervisory board of EuRoPol GAZ operator of the Polish stretch of the Yamal pipeline transiting gas from Russia to Western Europe EuRoPol GAZ said in a...

Merkel visits Poland on Tusks invitation
On June 16 German Chancellor Angela Merkel paid a working visit to Polish industrial city of Gdansk. The German leader met with her Polish counterpart Donald Tusk. The leaders discussed bilateral relations and the future of the European Union. Ahead of the EU Summit...

Zloty gets stronger but exports grow
Poland recorded a current account deficit of 1.55 billion Euro in April from which 55 million Euro less than is in March but still higher than the expected figure of 1.486 billion Euro. The date was released by the Central Bank of Poland...

Poles say they would support the Lisbon Treaty
Poles would back the European Unions Lisbon Treaty by a wide margin if it were put to a referendum a newspaper reported on June17. A TNS OBOP poll of 1 000 adults found 71 percent of Poles said they would vote for the...

Warsaw New Delhi develop defence cooperation plan
Polish Deputy Foreign Minister Ryszard Schnepf visited India on June 17. The Polish official had extensive talks with Minister of State for Defence M M Pallam Raju who stressed that the defence ties between the two countries have considerably deepened since the two prime-ministers...

IT sector set to reach USD 10 bln mark
Computerworld Polska which is Polish division of the Hewlett- Packard has recently reported that the value of the Polish IT sector is about to reach the figure of 10 billion USD. According to the weekly magazine the value of the...

RWE and KW to build 1.5 bln Euro power plant
German power producer RWE plans to build a power plant in the Polish region of Silesia in a joint venture with coal miner Kompania Weglowa KW Warsaw Voice reported. RWE will have a 75 percent stake in the joint project....

EU to lift restrictive measures…
The European Commission on June 11 assessed the updated convergence programme of Poland. In Poland the government deficit was reduced significantly below the reference value of three percent of GDP in 2007 and is projected to remain below this ceiling also in 2008 and 2009. For this reason...

Warsaw to boost ties with Japan
On June 6 2008 the Polish President Lech Kaczynski met with representatives of the Japanese Business Federation KEIDANREN. The talks primarily centred on the progress made in adjusting to the systems and in procedures that are in place as a result of Polands accession...

WSE to attract Belarus companies
PriorBank JSC with its seat in Minsk Belarus signed a co-operation agreement with the Warsaw Stock Exchange WSE under the WSE IPO Partner programme aimed at attracting foreign issuers to the Warsaw market. PriorBank is the eleventh WSE IPO Partner and the second Belarus...

Polish airlines prices hiked 20% in a month
Low-cost airlines in Poland have hike their ticket prices by upwards of 20 percent recently amid rising fuel prices and more increases are expected media reports said citing Rzeczpospolita. Passengers are paying between 10 and 20 percent more than a month ago Rzeczpospolita said...

Ernst Young ranks Poland as the best investment destination
Poland has been ranked to most attractive destination for new foreign investment in Europe in the newest European Attractiveness Survey prepared by Ernst amp; Young Eamp;Y . Poland placed second in the job-creation ranking and in seventh place in the foreign direct investment ranking....

Brussels wants shipyards sold
After the European Commission had repeatedly warned the Polish government to come up with «new concrete and credible solutions to save the countrys major shipyards Gdynia and Szczecin Warsaw responded that a number of investors showed interest in buying the...

Hill International buys Euromost
Major international construction risk manager Hill International announced last week that it had purchased the project management and construction consulting firm Euromost Polska Sp. z o.o. Euromost will continue to operate under its existing name and management team media reported....

Polish postal workers strike for higher pay
Some 20 000 Polish postal workers went on strike on June 2 to press demands for higher pay amid a stalemate in talks with executives. Protesters are demanding a 246-USD raise while management has offered 140 USD. Bogumil Nowicki of...

Poland to start construction of a high-speed rail line
After the EU exerted strong criticism against Warsaw because of the state of the national railways in Poland the government proceeded with plans to renovate national railway system. The country has one of the worst rail networks in the EU...

Daimler to construct compact cars in Ujazd
German major car maker Daimler took the decision to invest 800 million Euro in a new factory in Poland Newsweek Polska reports. Citing the sources in the German negotiation team the newspaper reports that the new factory is to be...

Budget deficit under control after 5 months
Poland posted a budget deficit of some two billion Polish zloty after May this year the deputy Finance Minister Elzbieta Suchocka-Roguska told PAP. The deficit after May should amount some two billion. But those are early estimates. It cant be...

Warsaw Paris seal strategic partnership
The second Polish-French Summit under the auspices of the presidents of the two states was held in Warsaw on May 28. French President Nicolas Sarkozy paid an official visit to the Polish capital to co-chair the summit. The French leader...

Warsaw Kyrgyzstan to promote EU Strategy on Central Asia
On May 21 Undersecretary of State for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Andrzej Kremer signed the Protocol of Partnership for the Implementation of the European Union Strategy on Central Asia between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of...

Tusk says government to carry out changes in a resolute way
Summing up the six months of his cabinets activity the Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk stressed that the government intended to carry out changes in a resolute and peaceful way. According to Tusk Poland needs dialogue in solving social conflicts. Conflicts...

CEDC closes its investment in Russias Whitehall Group
Polands largest vodka producer Central European Distribution Corporation CEDC announced on May 26 that it has closed its acquisition of a 49.9 percent voting interest and a 75 percent economic interest in the Whitehall Group. The total consideration for the...

ORLEN joins the campaign to Save more than fuel
The PKN ORLEN retail network in Poland has joined a European campaign for economic driving and efficient use of vehicles. The campaign held under the theme Save More Than Fuel is conducted at over 45 000 outlets in 29 European...

Poland Sweden to present joint proposal on EU policy
Poland will present a detailed proposal concerning the EUs eastern policy in the coming weeks Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said on May 18. Sikorski told the TVN24 news channel that the proposal would be consulted with allies and partners....

VideoJug inks international licensing deal with Agora
VideoJug a company which labels itself the worlds most popular video learning site has announced the signing of its first major international licensing deal with its newfound partner Agora a company professed to be the leading media group in Poland....

Focus Park centre Opens in Bydgoszcz
Parkridge Retail Poland opened the Focus Park shopping and entertainment centre in Bydgoszcz in late April. The developer converted the old buildings of the former Byt Meat processing plant into one of the largest and most elegant shopping centres in...

TVN to buy into n PAY-TV DTH operator for 35.3 mln-Euro
Polands leading privately owned television broadcaster TVN Group has reached an agreement to acquire 25 percent of the share capital plus one share of n the ITI Group owned Pay-TV DTH operator. TVN will purchase both 25 percent of the...

Eye on Poland: Country at the Crossroads
A nation with a proud past and promising future -- Poland's influence on the global stage is growing. A driving force in the new Europe with a skilled workforce spreading its influence beyond its borders and an economy increasingly attractive to foreign investors -- Poland is making its mark.

Poland signs missile shield deal with U.S.
The United States and Poland on Wednesday signed an agreement to base U.S. ballistic missile interceptors in Poland, a move that angered Russia.

Behind Poland's Defying Russia
Moscow's regional threats ended up making Poland more resolved to embrace the controversial U.S. missile shield

Will Russia Attack Poland Next?
Russia warned Poland on Friday that it is exposing itself to attack, even a nuclear one, by accepting a U.S. missile interceptor base on its soil

Poland, U.S. sign missile shield deal
Poland and the United States have signed a preliminary deal to place part of a U.S. ballistic missile defense system in Poland, a plan that has drawn sharp objections from Russia.

US, Poland Deal Angers Russia
Poland and the United States reached an agreement that will see a battery of American missiles established inside Poland, a plan that has infuriated Russia

Poland, U.S. to sign missile shield deal
Poland and the United States will sign a preliminary deal to place part of a U.S. ballistic missile defense system in Poland -- a plan that has drawn sharp objections from Russia, the Polish president's office confirmed Thursday to CNN.

Poland firm on U.S. missile defense opposition
U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice tried and failed just before leaving for Europe on Monday to seal a deal to place missiles in Poland, the State Department said.

U.S., Poland strike missile deal while Russia objects
The United States and Poland have reached a tentative deal to place part of a ballistic missile defense system on its territory, a plan that has drawn sharp objections from Russia, a senior administration official said Wednesday.

Poles, Czechs Balk at Missile Shield
The two US allies are suddenly in no hurry to see the implementation of the Bush Administration's plan to station an interceptor system on their soil

Europe extends passport-free zone
The nine newest members of the European Union were celebrating on Friday after border controls officially were lifted, allowing them to move freely within the EU's passport-free zone.

Nostalgia in a Polish 'milk bar'
I remember a bleak time in Poland when the economy was so maddeningly out of touch with the needs of its people that anyone lucky enough to own a car would remove their windshield wipers at night and take them inside. In their command economy -- oblivious to the laws of supply and demand -- some official forgot to order wipers and consequently, they weren't for sale anywhere. Inspired by a hungry black market, thieves would work late into the night snapping them up.

A New Government for Poland
Hundreds of thousands of mainly younger voters turned out to end the two years in power for Jaroslaw Kaczynski's Law and Justice Party

Opposition wins Polish election
Poland's opposition parties have won the parliamentary elections, ending two years of robust nationalism which have frequently led to confrontation with other countries.

Good turnout for Polish vote
Poles voted on Sunday in national elections that could decide the future direction of the central European country.

Poland faces landmark election
Poles vote Sunday in national elections that could decide the future direction of the central European country.

Solidarity shipyard seeks rescue
Poland's Gdansk shipyard, the birthplace of the anti-communist Solidarity movement, has submitted a last-ditch rescue plan to prevent its closure.

Why Polish is the New Language of British Retail
A migrant community whose disposable income runs to billions has become a prized market for high-street banks, supermarkets and bookstores

Is it the flu? Get the fast flu test
Fast flu tests, which drastically cut the time to diagnose a patient with influenza or not, are helping doctors better treat the illness, according to a recent study and medical experts.

Mine blast kills eight; 15 missing
At least eight miners were killed and another 15 missing after a gas explosion in a Polish coal mine Tuesday, a government spokesman said.

Poland pledges 1,000 Afghan troops
Poland will send up to an additional 1,000 troops to bolster NATO forces in Afghanistan, Polish defense ministry spokesman Leszek Laszczak says.

Tales of missing luggage
In 2005, 30 million bags were either temporarily or permanently misplaced in transit.

Poland collapse toll now 67
A 34-year-old man seriously injured in the roof collapse at a Polish exhibition hall died Monday, bringing the total number of deaths to 67.

Poland collapse: Buildings shut
The Polish government ordered the temporary closure of some large buildings Monday after the roof collapse of an exhibition hall in the southern city of Chorzow that killed 62 people.

Roof collapse: 'No more survivors'
Emergency workers shifted their efforts from rescue to recovery Sunday at the site of an exhibition center that's roof collapsed over the weekend in southern Poland, killing 66 people, after officials determined it unlikely that anyone else would be found alive.

A Far-Flung Frenzy
The e-mails are quite tantalizing, if a big familiar: "I have done extensive research on this company and believe it to be a huge opportunity to make five to ten times my money...." Or: "Have gotte...

A far-flung energy frenzy
The e-mails are quite tantalizing, if a bit familiar: I have done extensive research on this company and believe it to be a huge opportunity to make five to ten times my money.... Or: Have gotten all my children into the stock because I think it has such great potential.

Thousands remember pope in Krakow
Hundreds of thousands of people have been gathering in a Krakow field and clogged Poland's city streets to watch coverage of the funeral of Pope John Paul II, a man revered as a national hero in his homeland.

'Pope's regret' over '82 World Cup
Pope John Paul II regretted not praying for his native Poland during the national team's run to the semifinals of the 1982 World Cup, according to the team's star player.

Pope's heart may rest in Poland
The city that captured the heart of Pope John Paul II long before he followed his calling into the priesthood may become the final resting place of his physical heart, a Roman Catholic church official in Krakow has told CNN.

Your e-mails: Europe
CNN.com asked its readers to share their thoughts about the death of Pope John Paul II. Here is a sampling from thousands of responses, some of which have been edited:

Your e-mail: Remembering the pope
CNN.com asked its users to share their views on the death of Pope John Paul II who died Saturday. Here is a sampling from thousands of responses, some of which have been edited.

Pope's plight dominates world press
Newspapers in Italy, and around the world, devoted most of their Saturday editions to the suffering of Pope John Paul II.

Polish hostage pleads for life
A video of a Polish woman captured last week by an Iraqi militant group showed her pleading for her life Saturday and urging Poland to withdraw its troops from Iraq.

Poland may pull troops out of Iraq
Poland may reduce its commitment of forces to the war in Iraq by 40 percent by January 2005 and have all its troops out by the end of that year, Polish officials said Monday.

Poland on Iraq: 'No rash gestures'
Poland's outgoing prime minister has said his country cannot ignore Spain's plans to withdraw its troops from Iraq, but a government spokesman denied Warsaw was considering a similar pullout.

Poles hoping for economic gains
Warsaw is already beginning to look like other cities to the West. The same multi-national names are on display. In glitzy malls, shoppers can take their pick of international merchandise.

Springtime For Poland A class-action suit raises questions: Does Poland Spring water come from springs? And can you drown lawyer
If you've had a sip of Poland Spring Natural Spring Water over the past seven years, then you, like me, are a plaintiff in a class-action suit that recently settled. (Congratulations!) If you have ...

FUNDS RUSH TO CASH IN ON EASTERN EUROPE'S BOOM
Lured by spectacular gains in markets such as Russia (up 105% in the first eight months of this year), Hungary (86%), Poland (77%) and the Czech Republic (26%), several new mutual funds have sprung...

HOTTEST NEW STOCK MARKET
What country was home to 1993's fastest-growing emerging stock market? If you guessed China, think again. The clear winner is Poland. From December 31, 1992, through December 23, 1993, the Warsaw t...

WARM MEMORIES ARE AWAKENED
I want to tell you how very much I enjoyed the October Editor's Notes, ''An American Dream.'' I've recommended it to everyone I know. I've had similar stories told to me by my late father. He came ...

WHO'S WHO IN THE EAST In Eastern Europe, the people to know are both colorful and energetic. ! Want to meet the Clark Gable of f
Business is always personal, but especially so in Eastern Europe, where daunting bureaucracy and changing ground rules can spook even veteran investors from abroad. In such a climate, knowing the r...

NEW LIGHT IN EASTERN EUROPE? Amid the economic chaos that followed the crash of Communism come signs of emerging entrepreneurshi
A NERVOUS SOBRIETY has set in across Eastern Europe. Two years after the Iron Curtain came crashing down, the region's experiments with capitalism might, to some eyes, seem an excellent advertiseme...

COOLING DOWN THE WORLD DEBT BOMB / At last, here's something to worry less about. Third World debts are still a threat to some b
WHEN THE U.S. said it would help Lech Walesa reform Poland's economy by forgiving 70% of the debt his government owes Washington, you could practically hear the champagne corks popping in Warsaw. T...

SHOCK THERAPY WORKS IN POLAND
Ten months of fiscal austerity may not have made Poland paradise, but it has noticeably improved the lives of 38 million Poles. Though real wages have dropped 40%, shop shelves now sag with consume...

POLAND'S GAMBLE BEGINS TO PAY OFF The Poles have achieved remarkable results in the first stages of their rush toward a free-mar
FOR POLAND this may be the most dangerous summer since 1939. While their Soviet neighbors fiddle, the gutsy Poles are switching from Communism to capitalism in one stroke. But their boldness has al...

SEED MONEY FOR EASTERN EUROPE
If it worked for Silicon Valley, it can work for Eastern Europe -- or so the theory goes. The U.S. government is investing taxpayer dollars in venture capital funds -- the same financial vehicles t...

NOW HEAR THIS
DOUG GUSTAFSON, 52, in Poland on behalf of the World Bank's International Finance Corp., on the country's rush to capitalism: ''It's messy. But that's what freedom's about, and we may as well get o...

GLASNOST'S HARVEST: JEANS THAT NEED A SCREWDRIVER, AN ANGEL FOR BORIS, AND MORE
-- The red star and the Cyrillic writing on the back pockets and an accessory in the form of a free screwdriver mark a hot new seller: cotton jeans ($60 and up) from the Soviet Union. The screwdriv...

THE AMERICAN OUT TO SAVE POLAND Harvard's young Jeffrey Sachs is pushing Solidarity to take the pain now for a big gain later. T
IT'S A BLEAK winter evening in a drab Warsaw suburb. Some four dozen Polish workers in leather jackets have crowded into the parish house of a Catholic church. They used to meet there secretly afte...

HOW THE WORLD WILL CHANGE In the new era, economic performance will replace military might as the measure of a nation. This will
The world is entering unknown territory. For two out of three living Americans -- and about as many Russians and Europeans -- the bipolar system forged by the cold war is all they have ever known. ...

WHO GAINS FROM THE NEW EUROPE Almost everybody does -- and there's opportunity aplenty for deals. The combined GNP of East Germa
WITH THE FALL of the Wall and the lifting of the Curtain, Western managers and investors must rethink their strategies for doing business in Europe in the 1990s. Suddenly the Old World has gained a...

POLAND IS FOR GAMBLERS
Investing in Poland is like buying into a bankrupt company, says Jan Vanous, research director of PlanEcon, a Washington, D.C., consulting firm specializing in Eastern bloc countries. ''It's for ga...

U.S. and Poland Set Missile Deal
A deal to place a missile defense base on Polish territory angered Russia, but reflected alarm in countries like Poland about Moscow’s intentions.

Russia Lashes Out on Missile Deal
The deal to place a U.S. missile defense base on Polish territory “cannot go unpunished,” said a senior Russian defense official.

Where Racing Is Fast and Police Aren’t Furious
Police officers in Lodz, Poland, have tried to deal with illegal street races by helping to organize them.

Poland Won’t Sign European Treaty
The reform treaty, rejected last month by Irish voters, was served another blow Tuesday by Poland’s president.

A Witness to Poland’s History, Now Its Diplomatic Voice
The world is unlikely to produce many more Wladyslaw Bartoszewskis, and that is probably a good thing, given the events he lived through from an early age.

Strong Economy and Labor Shortages Are Luring Polish Immigrants Back Home
The trickle of reverse migration is likely to create opportunities and challenges for the Polish government.

A Bunny, Too, Can Strut and Fret Upon This Stage
For all the lurid sex, gunfire and madcappery, this Polish production of “Macbeth” is ultimately tedious and uninvolving.

Inside a 9/11 Mastermind’s Interrogation
The story of an analyst who interrogated Khalid Shaikh Mohammed without harsh tactics offers the closest look to date at the C.I.A.’s interrogation program.

The New Pariahs?
Sixty years after the Holocaust, Europe still may not have learned to accept outsiders.

As Poles Balk, U.S. Eyes Lithuania as Site for Missile Shield
The American approach to Lithuania is likely to stir fresh tensions with Russia.

Scottish Play Gets Polish Makeover
A Polish-language production of “Macbeth” opens next week on a specially constructed, two-story stage in a warehouse on the Brooklyn waterfront.

The Exigent City
Increasingly, refugee camps have become de facto cities, and cities have become extended refugee camps. Is there a place here for architects?

Espionage and Dread, With War Offstage
Alan Furst’s instant espionage classics combine keen deductive precision with much deeper, more turbulent and impassioned aspects of character.

Germany and Poland Find That Trying to Get Along Has Its Benefits
The relationship between the two countries, which in the past two years could have been described as frosty at best and at worst downright antagonistic, is improving.

Yes, Borders Everywhere, but Nary a Barrier in Sight
“The Sejny Chronicles” is based on oral histories handed down by residents of the Polish town of Sejny before World War II.

Polish-German Relations Improving
The Polish foreign minister's visit to Germany has been hailed as a breakthrough in foreign relations.

Poland Draws Closer to Germany, EU
Poland's new prime minister is determined to mend relations with Berlin--even if it means accepting Germany as a victim of World War II.

EU Leaders "Get Tough With Russia"
The European Union has decided that it needs to take a strong position in its relations with the Kremlin.

Papal Vote Rigged?
Poland and mathematics seem to go together.

EU Parliament to Block Attempts to Water Down Reform Treaty
The European Constitution lives again.

German-Russian Energy--a Dangerous Partnership
The ensuing completion of the Nord Stream pipeline heralds a developing relationship in which Germany and Russia are slicing up their respective spheres of influence within Europe.

Britain to Become German Energy Vassal
As Britain's North Sea energy supply begins to fail, the nation is looking for replacement energy from Germany.

What Eastern Europe Offers the EU
Romania and Bulgaria have just joined the European Union. What does Europe get out of the deal?

EU to Give Power to Fewer Commissioners?

Skittish About EU, Russia Looks East for Energy Customers
More evidence of Russia joining forces with its Asian neighbors

Berlin Exhibition Depicts Germans as Victims

Right-Wingers Make Waves in Europe
The rising influence of right-wingers in Germany is sweeping across what is widely regarded as a secular, liberal-socialist Continent.

EU Threatens Members States That Help U.S.
Anti-Americanism is a rising sentiment in Europe. But what if every European Union nation were forced to embrace this as official policy?

Forging a More Efficient Europe
Leaders plan to overhaul the massive bureaucracy that is the European Union.

Energy Alliance Fuels Fears
Could the new Russo-German "energy alliance" be history repeating itself?

Church Uses Same-Sex Marriage Issue to Rally Catholics
Despite Spain's decision to legalize same-sex marriage, the run-up to the parliamentary vote was frought with mass protests from its Catholic citizens. Other events in Poland and Italy show the increasing power the Roman Catholic Church holds over European politics.

RTS plans Ukraine market
One of Russia's two main stock exchanges plans to set up a market in Ukraine in a move to increase investor participation in its neighbour's underdeveloped capital markets

PM rebukes 'hysterical' Yushchenko
Yulia Tymoshenko accused Ukraine's president of jeopardising both bilateral relations with Russia and western integration initiatives by labelling her a Kremlin conspirator

Manufacturers turn to US
The latest cheap manufacturing site for European companies is not in Asia or eastern Europe but the US, say top executives from some of the continent's biggest companies

German SPD picks Steinmeier
Germany's troubled Social Democratic party has ousted Kurt Beck, its hapless left-leaning chairman, and nominated the centrist Frank-Walter Steinmeier to run for chancellor

Sarkozy to urge Moscow to pull back
The French president and other European Union leaders will on Monday urge Dmitry Medvedev to withdraw Russia's forces in Georgia

Slovakia faces antitrust proceedings
European antitrust regulators are to bring formal proceedings against Slovakia, accusing the country of re-monopolising part of its postal service

Cheney accuses Russia of using 'blunt force'
The US vice president broadened his attack on Russia, directly challenging Vladimir Putin's view of history and warning that his government could 'not have it both ways' by using 'brute force' and still hoping to build economic progress

Half-sisters strive to beat Wagner festival curse
Joining forces at Bayreuth was the rivals' only chance of winning a share of the family gold

Trichet sees investor role in oil shock
The oil price shock could have been exaggerated by financial speculation, Jean-Claude Trichet, European Central Bank president, suggested for the first time

EU fears Russia will refuse to leave
European Union governments sought a formula for persuading Russia to withdraw from a 'buffer zone' in Georgia that they occupied during their military push last month

States feel debt pinch
Bond yields of Portugal, Italy, Greece and Spain widened to record levels against Germany

Gaza students learn harsh lesson
Hundreds of young people who have been accepted by foreign universities are pawns in the conflict between Israel and Islamist group Hamas, which seized the territory in 2007

Right attacks Sarkozy tax plan
The French president triggered a backlash from his centre-right party after his government agreed to tax savers and investors to fund a welfare benefit for the poor

Kremlin calm on foreign capital turmoil
Russia's economy is strong enough to ride out the financial turmoil caused by foreign capital fleeing the country, says a senior Kremlin aide

US military trained Georgian commandos
The US military provided combat training to 80 Georgian special forces commandos only months prior to Georgia's army assault in South Ossetia in August

UNICEF Leads Campaign To Get Displaced Children In Georgia Back To School
UN Children's Fund says getting thousands of children, who are traumatized by war back into structured school program, will help them regain their sense of normalcy and well being

EU Ministers Call for Georgia-Russia Investigation
Ministers from 27-member European Union agreed that EU observer mission should be deployed to Georgia as rapidly as possible

Turkey and Armenia Relations Thaw a Bit
Turkish President Abdullah Gul has accepted an invitation from President Serge Sargsyan of Armenia to attend a World Cup qualifying soccer match between the countries

Russia Accuses West of Re-Arming Georgia
President Dmitry Medvedev questioned how other nations would react if Russia used its navy to deliver aid to Caribbean following hurricane in region

Turkish President in Armenia on Historic Trip
President Abdullah Gul in Armenia to attend soccer match he said could help end almost a century of mutual hostility, aid security in broader Caucasus region

US VP: Russia Using Energy Control as 'Tool of Force'
Dick Cheney sharply criticizes Russia's actions in conflict with Georgia, and its attempts to control oil, gas supplies

Leaders of Turkey, Armenia Vow to Improve Bilateral Ties
Armenian President Serzh Sarkisyan and Turkish President Abdullah Gul say they are determined to solve problems that exist between their countries, following historic talks in Yerevan

Russia Leader Says US Delivering Weapons to Georgia in Guise of Aid
Medvedev accuses U.S. of arming Georgia

World's Biggest Atom Smasher to Start-up
World's biggest atom smasher Large Hadron Collider expected to answer many questions about origins of universe

EU, French, Russian, Georgian Leaders Prepare to Meet
European mission is traveling a month after clashes erupted between Russia and Georgia over breakaway Georgian region of South Ossetia

The Markov case: Piccadilly circus

New evidence about the murder of a Bulgarian emigre

HIS code-name was Piccadilly. An Italian-born Dane, he was one of the most mysterious figures of the cold war. According to Bulgarian secret-service files, he was the agent who assassinated Georgi Markov, code-named “Wanderer”, a Bulgarian emigre broadcaster who was poisoned in London in 1978. Destruction of documents and official obstruction seemed to have left the trail cold. But in a book being published on September 6th, Hristo Hristov, a Bulgarian investigative journalist, gives the results of searching 97 previously classified files, obtained after a three-year legal battle. They show details of training and payments to Piccadilly, and of the close links between the Bulgarian secret services and the Soviet KGB over the murder.

Clearly Piccadilly was no ordinary agent. Although described in the files as having the mentality of a “petty international criminal” when recruited, he had extensive and elaborate training. Shortly before the Markov murder, he was given the rare honour of a face-to-face meeting with Bulgaria’s top spymaster, Vasil Kotsev. He returned to Bulgaria shortly after the murder, to receive a medal. He enjoyed a sinecure until 1990; his whereabouts now are unknown. ...

Charlemagne: The heretical Czechs

The pragmatic sceptics who will have the next European-Union presidency

THROUGHOUT history, heretics have faced unusually horrid punishments—and it is no mystery why. Most faith-based systems can withstand the threat from non-believers, sinners and the like. But heretics are a menace from within: dissenting believers, who question key articles of faith. When it comes to the faith-based project of European political integration, the Czech Republic is a dangerously heretical place. This does not mean that the Czechs are hostile to the European Union—though many in Brussels lazily put them high up in their lists of “Eurosceptics”. Rather, the Czechs have a taste for something more subversive: the questioning of big planks of EU conventional wisdom.

This matters a lot right now. On January 1st the Czechs will take over the rotating presidency of the EU, chairing all meetings and setting the agenda for the following six months. The future of the Lisbon treaty is sure to come up on their watch, as the Irish government scrambles to find ways to overcome the no vote cast by its electorate last June. And in foreign policy, it is a safe bet that Russia will muscle its way up the EU’s agenda in 2009. ...

The left in France: Bon appétit, comrades!

The mainstream left seems to be in trouble all over Europe. We look at the French Socialists and Germany’s Social Democrats (see article)

EVERY August, French Socialists take their light cotton shirts and endless squabbles to La Rochelle for a “summer school”. This year’s was a dismal spectacle, marked by vapid declarations and shabby manoeuvring. One participant even lamented that the best speech he heard during the event was Barack Obama’s at the Democratic convention in Denver.

The Socialists will pick a new leader at a congress in November, when Francois Hollande steps down after 11 years in the job. The candidates who have put their names forward include Segolene Royal, the losing presidential candidate in 2007 and Mr Hollande’s ex-partner, and Bertrand Delanoe, the mayor of Paris (above, right). But it is unlikely that a front-runner will emerge before the congress. Ms Royal, who is loathed by many of the old guard, hopes to lean on her regional base and popularity among new members. This was how she won the party primary to become the presidential candidate. Among left-leaning voters, she is still the favourite to fight the 2012 presidential election, according to a poll by TNS Sofres. ...

Alitalia and the taxpayer: On a wing and a taxpayer’s prayer

A botched and expensive plan to salvage a beleaguered airline

WHAT price patriotism? In the case of Alitalia, Italy’s long-crippled flag-carrier, the answer is about €5 billion ($7.3 billion)—or some €125 for every one of Italy’s 40m taxpayers.

Even before the operation mounted by Silvio Berlusconi’s government to preserve the airline’s Italianita, €3 billion of public money had gone into it. The rescue, known as Operation Phoenix, will funnel Alitalia’s €1.2 billion debts and its least profitable bits into a “bad company” that is dumped on the Italian treasury. A report by the Bruno Leoni Institute, a liberal think-tank, concludes that “altogether, the cost to the state could reach almost €2 billion.” But press estimates have ranged a lot higher, and many details remain undecided. ...

Germany’s Social Democrats: A party in disarray

A grand old party that is in a fine old mess, and also in search of a decent candidate

GERMANY’S Social Democratic Party (SPD) has a proud 145-year history. It mobilised Wilhelmine-era workers, opposed the Nazis and may have helped soften the iron curtain. Now it just looks old. In June its membership slumped below that of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), its centre-right partner in Germany’s “grand coalition”, for the first time ever. A year before the next federal election, barely a fifth of voters back it (see chart). Its leader, Kurt Beck, is almost a laughing-stock. “It’s certainly a difficult situation”, concedes Niels Annen, an SPD parliamentarian, mildly.

Some of the SPD’s ills are shared with the CDU, which is also losing members (if not as fast); both have long been losing support to smaller outfits. But the SPD’s collectivist ethos may not suit a more individualist era. Its trade-union allies have been losing members for years. And it is also a handicap that the SPD has ruled Germany for the past ten years—first as leader of a coalition with the Greens and now as second fiddle to the CDU. Globalisation has caught up with Germany, exposing sclerosis in the welfare state. The SPD responded under Gerhard Schroder by toughening the rules for the unemployed. But this divided the party and alienated core supporters. The SPD is now “two parties under one roof”, says Jurgen Falter, a political scientist at Mainz University. ...

Georgia and the Balkans: Parallel bars

Serbia and Kosovo ponder their positions after the war in Georgia

RUSSIA’S road to South Ossetia went through Kosovo. Or so many Russians and even some Western diplomats believe. It has become commonplace to assert that Russia’s invasion of Georgia and its recognition this week of the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia flowed directly from Kosovo’s declaration of independence from Serbia in February, which was recognised by many Western countries. The parallels are superficial at best, but they have led to new calculations in Serbia and Kosovo over which stands to gain or lose the most from the war in Georgia.

Russia has long supported Serbia’s claim that Kosovo, 90% of whose 2m people are ethnic Albanians, has no right to independence. The reasoning is that it was a province of Serbia and not, like Montenegro, a republic in the federation of Yugoslavia. Only former republics within the old communist federations, together with the two parts of former Czechoslovakia, have become independent since 1989. Yet America and 21 out of 27 European Union countries have endorsed Kosovo’s independence. ...

France and Afghanistan: To stay or not to stay

The debate over whether to keep French troops in Afghanistan heats up

“THE era of easy foreign missions is over,” declared France’s senior general, Jean-Louis Georgelin. “We are witnessing a return of missions of war.” To British or American ears, grimly accustomed by now to the return of body bags from faraway places, the general’s remarks were commonplace. But the French are still reeling from the loss of ten soldiers in an ambush in Afghanistan on August 18th, their worst death toll in a single attack since the bombing of a French barracks in Beirut a quarter-century ago. President Nicolas Sarkozy has now brought forward a parliamentary vote on whether to keep extra French troops in Afghanistan to an extraordinary session to be held on September 22nd.

Under France’s new constitutional rules, Mr Sarkozy must secure parliamentary backing for any French military operation abroad that lasts for more than four months. He recently sent an additional battalion of 700 soldiers to join the existing ones in the NATO force in Afghanistan, and their continued presence will need parliamentary approval. The reason Mr Sarkozy has chosen to bring forward the vote is a sudden political chorus of concern about the risks and merits of putting more French lives at risk. ...

Charlemagne: Unity is strength

There are reasons why European countries find it hard to unite against Russia

THE European Union will be heeded by Russia only when it speaks with one voice. That was the universal battle cry in Brussels as EU officials and diplomats hurried back from their summer holidays to prepare for an emergency EU summit on the Georgian crisis, called by the current French presidency for September 1st. And faced with the sobering sight of tanks trundling around Europe’s backyard, there was equally loud agreement among national politicians that their usual squabbling over the right attitude towards Russia harms the common interests of the 27-member union.

Yet the rhetoric seems largely empty. The summit will certainly see a lot of joint finger-wagging over Russia’s recognition of the breakaway Georgian territories of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. There may be more talk of an EU civilian mission to monitor the situation in Georgia (though the idea of an EU military force has been shelved, at least for the moment). But when it comes to the stated purpose of the meeting—to re-examine EU-Russia relations—the 27 leaders will remain divided into several overlapping camps. These include: those who think Russia can and must be engaged as a partner; those who think Russia needs containing; and a larger group of fatalists who think that Russia “has us over a barrel”, as one diplomat punningly puts it. The summit is not expected to agree to make any big changes to the status quo, for the simple reason that the various leaders do not agree over whether that would be a good idea or counter-productive. ...

The Italian public sector: Idlers under attack

A reformer takes on Italy’s bloated public sector

LIKE many an Italian state employee, Walter Schiavi awarded himself extra leisure time by faking an illness. On July 30th he was officially in bed with ’flu. In fact, say the police, he was at his workplace—to rob it. On August 21st they arrested the 29-year-old Milanese postman, claiming he was one of two men who had held up the post office where he worked on a day he was supposedly sick.

His case is exceptional only for its picaresque twist. Absenteeism among public employees in Italy is a plague. According to a recent book*, it is four times higher in the public sector than in private companies. In 2005 state workers took an average of 18 days’ sick leave. In the health service, the figure was almost six weeks. Every Italian has a favourite story: the professor who gave less than 30% of the lectures in his courses; the judge, unable to sit or stand for long periods, found to be ocean-yacht racing. It would be funnier if the inefficiency of Italy’s 3.5m-strong public sector were not such a drag on the economy. ...

German recreation: An affinity for rules?

Germany has a grip on the business of inventing brainy new board-games

TO SERIOUS gamers Puerto Rico is German territory, not American. They assemble in groups of three to five to plant crops, ship goods and raise edifices, compressing into a cheerful hour or two the wheeling and dealing that consumed the careers of 16th-century colonists in the Caribbean. “Puerto Rico”, ranked the second-best board-game by users of boardgamegeek.com, is the brainchild of Andreas Seyfarth, a civil servant, one of a handful of game designers who work in cardboard rather than silicon.

Germany is to board-games what Belgium is to chocolate. It specialises in “Eurogames”, which emphasise strategy over showiness, downplay luck and conflict, lean towards economic rather than martial themes and strive to keep all the players at the table until the game’s end. The cleverest and most prolific inventors, such as Reiner Knizia (who lives in England) are nerdy superstars. Euro (also “German-style”) games must not be confused with “Ameritrash” games, which generally involve high drama and employ plastic pieces, though arguing over what the difference is seems to be gamers’ second-favourite pastime. ...

Russia and Georgia: Put out even more flags

Russia’s recognition of South Ossetia and Abkhazia will reverberate for a long time—not least at home

A FEW months ago Dmitry Medvedev, Russia’s new president, did not think he would be recognising the independence of two separatist regions of Georgia and heading into direct confrontation with the West. When he met Georgia’s president, Mikheil Saakashvili, in St Petersburg in June, both seemed happy. War did not feature in Mr Medvedev’s plans; he was even considering an early visit to Tbilisi. But when the two leaders met again in early July, the temperature was far chillier. The night before, South Ossetian and Georgian forces had exchanged fire. Mr Medvedev never made it to Tbilisi: instead Russian tanks poured into Georgia.

Did Russia’s security chiefs fear that the two presidents might agree on something that would spoil their long-planned conflict? Did Vladimir Putin, Mr Medvedev’s patron and prime minister, crave a small, victorious war? Or did Mr Saakashvili think Mr Medvedev was too soft to respond to Georgia’s attempt to regain control over South Ossetia? The answer may never be known. But after barely 100 days in office, the soft-spoken Mr Medvedev was cast in the unlikely role of war leader. ...

Energy security in Europe: Dependent territory

The war in Georgia puts energy security back on Europe’s agenda

OFFICIALLY, the European Union is no more worried about the closure of two oil pipelines running through Georgia than are the world’s oil traders, who have so far shrugged off the news. After all, less than 3% of Europe’s oil imports come from Azerbaijan via Georgia, according to the European Commission, and none of its gas. The commission plans to do no more than “monitor the situation closely”.

Yet the Eurocrats, complains one European diplomat, are not looking at recent events in the Caucasus “with their energy spectacles on”. Some of his colleagues certainly suspect that a principal Russian motive for invading Georgia was to highlight its vulnerability as a transit route for oil and gas. European countries have long dreamt of securing access to gas from Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan through a pipeline that crosses Georgia. That route would bypass Russia, which controls all the existing pipelines between Central Asia and the EU, and so leave less of Europe’s gas supply at Russia’s mercy. At the very least, the war in Georgia has highlighted the region’s instability, and thus the difficulty of this plan. ...

Russia and the West: After Georgia

After Georgia’s defeat, the West struggles to deal with a newly belligerent Russia

IN LESS than two weeks—from the first heated discussion about Russia’s push into Georgia that took place between President George Bush and Russia’s prime minister, Vladimir Putin, at the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics, to the supposed start on August 19th of the Russian army’s rifle-dragging withdrawal—the geopolitical map of Europe has been redraw