Brussels, 17/01/2006 (Agence Europe) - The European Commission has called on the Polish government to justify its opposition to Italian bank UniCredit's takeover of HypoVereinsbank (HVB), the spokesman for Competition Commissioner Neelie Kroes has announced. Director General for Competition Philip Lowe has written to the Polish finance minister calling on him to justify measures taken by the Polish authorities to slow the operation down, although acquisition had been authorised by the European Commission in October 2005. Warsaw is expected to respond by 23 January. The Polish government does not look on the UniCredito-HVB merger in a favourable light as it fears major job losses in the Polish banking sector and, some say, because it hopes to protect the last major Polish public bank, PKO Bank Polski. UniCredito already controls the second bank in Poland, Pekao, whereas HBV holds a controlling stake in BPH, the third largest Polish bank. The Polish authorities justify their action by asserting that, during the acquisition of Pekao in 1999, UniCredito had pledged not to acquire any other Polish bank.