Poland’s central bank has raised interest rates for the fourth time in as many months in a bid to tame rampant price increases. In a move that will hit households across the country who are already dealing with an inflation rate of around 7.8 percent and rising energy prices, the reference rate was raised to 2.25 percent from 1.75 percent. Poland is currently experiencing its highest level of inflation in 20 years. The Polish central bank expects that inflation in the country will average 7.6 percent in 2022. A spokesman yesterday said that the Polish government is preparing new measures to offset the impact of rising prices of gas and electricity for citizens.
Source – Polskie Radio
The Polish government has signed deals with a number of domestic companies to build a protective wall along the country’s border with Belarus.
The Polish parliament voted in favour of building the wall in October 2021 as the migrant crisis fomented by neighbouring Belarus grew. The Border Guard’s deputy chief said that the construction of a solid barrier was „an absolutely necessary and urgent investment” adding that the wall marks the biggest construction project in the history of the border guard. The protective wall, consisting of 5-metre steel posts crowned by barbed wire, will stretch over 186 kilometres and is expected to be ready by the middle of this year.
Source – Polskie Radio
The EU will try to send a strong message to Moscow this week as it sends its foreign policy chief to Ukraine for 3 days in a sign of solidarity with the threatened country.
Russia has been building up its troops at the border with Ukraine for many months and intelligence reports suggest that it may be preparing to invade its neighbour. The foreign policy chief rejected suggestions by the US president that the USA, France, Germany and Great Britain should consult directly with Russia on the crisis situation. Instead he said, „The EU cannot be a neutral spectator in these negotiations if Russia really wants to discuss Europe’s security architecture. We are building a Common Foreign and Security Policy and a Common Security and Defence Policy precisely for that purpose”.
Source – Polskie Radio
The tender for the new Gda?sk Metropolitan area cycle hire system to replaced the doomed „Mevo” bike hire scheme which collapsed in 2019 continues to rumble on.
For the fourth time, Nextbike, the company responsible for the original project has appealed to the National Appeals Chamber regarding the new contract which was awarded to a Spanish company who have successfully deployed cycle hire schemes in Finland, Sweden, France and Peru.
Source – Radio Gda?sk
Weather
Today will be a cloudy day with sunny intervals in a moderate breeze and temperatures of 3 degrees centigrade (37 degrees Fahrenheit). Tomorrow will be a grey day with chances of snow showers during the day in a moderate breeze with temperatures of 1 degrees during the day and -5 degrees overnight.
Martin Caren/MarWer
