NATO defence ministers agreed on Wednesday to expand the project in response to US President Donald Trump’s demand for more action from allies in the Middle East. The minister was quoted as saying, “Poland has not withdrawn its troops from Iraq and will keep them there, following the motto 'together in, together out’ to show solidarity with our allies just the way we would expect solidarity from them in case of potential crisis”.
Source – Polskie Radio
Most Poles believe that their national laws takes precedence over European Union laws, according to a new survey. Seventy-eight percent of those polled by the Dziennik Gazeta Prawna daily and private radio broadcaster RMF FM said the Polish constitution had primacy over the laws of the European Union. Sixty-three percent said national law as a whole should take precedence over EU law. The survey was released after European lawmakers a day earlier held a debate on the rule of law in Poland amid a protracted spat between Warsaw and Brussels over contested judicial changes. In another recent survey, an overwhelming 80.7 percent of Poles said their country was unlikely to leave the European Union anytime in the near future.
Source – Polskie Radio
The average salary in Poland in the final quarter of last year rose 6.9 percent compared to the same period of 2018, the country’s Central Statistical Office said on Tuesday. The average Pole earned around 5,200 PLN (1,331 USD or EUR 1,220) a month, according to the statistics office. The average monthly salary in the European Union is nearly EUR 3,000. According to a study released in December, it will take Poles 50 years to catch up with the EU average in terms of wages if pay in the bloc grows at current rates. But the survey by advisory firm Grant Thornton said salaries in Poland have been increasing at a faster rate than in many other European Union countries.
Source – PolskieRadio.pl
And finally, With China battling the deadly coronavirus, Polish-listed fashion company LPP is preparing contingency plans to cope with protracted clothing deliveries from there according to an article on the The First News Website. As coronavirus spreads in China, claiming lives and wreaking havoc on the economy, Polish companies are adjusting. Polish airline LOT has suspended flights to Beijing whilst Poczta Polska is no longer accepting parcels bound for China. Among the companies affected is Gdańsk-based LPP, the fashion giant behind high-street clothing brands such as Reserved, Cropp, House, Mohito and Sinsay. Listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange since 2001, and touting 1,700 stores in its portfolio, the firm manufactures approximately one-third of its products in China, before retailing them in over 20 countries in Europe, Asia and the Middle East. For the Polish company, the coronavirus outbreak could lead to logistic and delivery delays. There is also a risk of delays in production according to the company’s CFO. With the winter season coming to an end, over 60% of LPP’s spring-summer collection has already arrived for collection to its depots whilst other pieces are on their way. Just 15% of the company’s imports from China have not been shipped yet. Having waited for holidays linked to Chinese New Year to end, the company will now observe whether the virus will significantly obstruct the movement of workers. At the same time, it will also consider alternative production locations in case of a protracted delay in deliveries from China. The company is considering starting temporary shipments from companies in Turkey, Bangladesh or Vietnam. There might also be scope to produce more in Europe, where around 10% of the company’s production is currently located.
Source: The First News
Weather
Today is going to sunny with scattered clouds in a light breeze. Temperatures will reach 5 degrees centigrade (41 degrees Fahrenheit) during the day, dropping to a chilly -3 degrees centigrade overnight. Saturday will cloud over during the day with a risk of showers and the wind will pick up a little. Temperatures will reach 6 degrees centigrade during the day.
