WARSAW, March 12, 2013 – World Bank Vice President for Europe and Central Asia, Philippe Le Houérou, and World Bank Country Director for Central Europe and the Baltic countries, Mamta Murthi, are in Warsaw for a three-day visit to discuss the economic situation in Europe and in Poland and the strategic partnership between Poland and the World Bank Group.
At a time of economic slowdown in Europe and in Poland, Le Houérou and Murthi will meet with, among others, Jan-Vincent Rostowski, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance; Jaroslaw Gowin, Minister of Justice; Elzbieta Bienkowska, Minister of Regional Development; and Marek Belka, President of the National Bank of Poland, as well as opinion leaders and private sector representatives to discuss the Government’s plans to mitigate the impact of external developments on the Polish economy. Le Houérou and Murthi will also discuss the implementation of the Government's medium-term reform agenda as articulated in the National Development Strategy 2020.
Le Houérou and Murthi will discuss how the World Bank Group can best work with Poland in this context. The World Bank Group is preparing a four-year Country Partnership Strategy to frame its engagement with Poland for the period 2013 - 2017. The visit will be an opportunity to seek the authorities' views on how the World Bank Group can support the Government's agenda of public sector effectiveness, economic competitiveness, and social and territorial cohesion. Le Houérou and Murthi will also discuss how Poland and the World Bank Group can work together on selected global development issues.
“Poland’s partnership with the World Bank Group is a partnership of choice,” said Le Houérou upon his arrival in Warsaw. “We are glad to be able to contribute our global experience to selected areas of Poland’s policymaking process. We appreciate and fully support the authorities’ efforts to manage the economy in a difficult external environment.”
“Our ambition is to help promote an agenda of shared prosperity in Poland,” emphasized Murthi. “The economic slowdown in the Eurozone is taking a toll on the Polish economy. We are committed to working with the authorities to help mitigate the impact of this crisis and to laying the foundations for a strong rebound that can benefit all citizens.”
