“Strong economy, weak government.” German media after the visit of the Minister of Finance to Poland

According to the author of the comment, during his visit to Warsaw, Vice-Chancellor and Minister of Finance Klingbeil “wondered what Germany's neighbor was doing better.” “While prosperity in Germany is stagnating, the economy on the eastern side of the border is developing dynamically,” emphasized the “FAZ” journalist.

Domański: Poland should stay with the zloty

The visit to Warsaw had the status of an introductory meeting, but Klingbeil knows the Polish Minister of Finance, Andrzej Domański, well. They both met in Brussels, and the Polish minister was already in Berlin. “FAZ” recalled that last week they both participated in a video conference in the E6 format. Finance ministers of the six largest European economies discussed how to meet the challenges resulting from the aggressive policies of superpowers. They talked about the capital markets union, strengthening the euro, joint arms projects, defense policy, joint purchases of raw materials and global trade partnerships, said the German journalist.

“FAZ” reminded that, unlike other E6 countries, Poland does not have a common currency, the euro.

The author emphasized that, according to Domański, Poland should currently stay with its currency. As “FAZ” writes, due to the high deficit (over 6%, i.e. twice as much as the Maastricht criterion), Poland would still have big problems with meeting the euro adoption criterion.

In 2022, Poland's debt (48.8%) was significantly lower than in Germany (64.4%). However, Poland quickly caught up with Germany, and this year the debt in both countries may amount to approximately 65%.

“FAZ” points out one significant difference – in Germany economic growth is “devoid of strength.” “You may get the impression that Germans are satiated, while Poles are still hungry (for success – PAP),” writes the author, noting that last year the Polish economy grew by 3.6%.

“Accolade”

Referring to the invitation of Poland to the G20 summit by US President Donald Trump, “FAZ” writes that it is a “knighting” for the government in Warsaw, and “more precisely, for the President of the Republic of Poland.” Karol Nawrocki is not a member of PiS, but, like his predecessor Andrzej Duda, he is on a “sharp course opposite to the pro-European government of Donald Tusk.” Nawrocki blocks many reforms and makes it impossible to reverse the reform of the justice system, which, according to the CJEU, is inconsistent with EU law, the daily emphasizes.

Although nothing has changed in the judicial system, Poland, unlike Hungary, benefits from large transfers from Brussels, which probably “does not want to make (Prime Minister Donald) Tusk's life even more difficult,” we read in “FAZ.” “Polish economic growth can be a stimulus for Germany,” FAZ quotes Klingbeil as saying at the end of the report.