Poland’s prime minister has said he told German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Friday that his country is prepared to veto the EU’s new budget amid a row over linking funds from Brussels to the rule of law. Mateusz Morawiecki reaffirmed Poland’s stance on the bloc’s spending plan for 2021-2027 during telephone talks with Merkel.
Morawiecki said on Facebook he had confirmed Warsaw’s “readiness to veto the new budget if we do not find a solution that is good for the entire EU, and not only for some of its members. He added: „I told the Chancellor today that Poland expects further work to find a solution as soon as possible that would guarantee the rights of all member states and respect for treaty procedures.”
Poland’s government has pledged billions in additional help for firms hit by coronavirus curbs amid a second wave of the pandemic.
Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki on Thursday announced another hefty stimulus package for companies affected by the COVID-19 crisis, a measure he described as Financial Shield 2.0. He said the package would be worth at least PLN 35 billion (EUR 7.8 billion, USD 9.3 billion), including PLN 3 billion for micro-enterprises, PLN 7 billion for small and medium-sized businesses, and PLN 25 billion for large companies in nearly 40 sectors. Help will include non-refundable subsidies, downtime pay, exemptions from social insurance contributions and additional social security benefits for employees.
Poland on Friday reported 16,310 new coronavirus infections and 579 more deaths, bringing its total number of cases to 957,666 and fatalities to 16,147.
Tougher measures to battle COVID-19 came into effect across Poland earlier this month following a surge in cases amid a second wave of the pandemic. Shopping malls have been ordered to limit their operations, though some retail outlets, such as grocery stores, pharmacies and drug stores, are allowed to stay open to customers. Hotels are only able to take in guests on business trips. Theatres, cinemas, museums and galleries have been told to close temporarily. The government has announced that restaurants, cinemas, theatres and gyms will remain closed until at least December 27.
And finally, Radio Gdańsk has launched a new section on the Radiogdansk website – just look for, or search, the ‘English Service’ section.
Current and previous news is all there as well as how to listen, schedules and other articles of interest for English speakers.
Weather
Today will be a rainy day with light rain and a gentle breeze and temperatures reaching 5 degrees centigrade (41 degrees Fahrenheit) during the day, dropping to 3 degrees overnight. Sunday will remain grey and drizzly with chances of sleet during the day and temperatures only reaching 3 degrees centigrade during the day, and -1 degrees overnight.
Martin Caren/ako
