Brussels, 15/07/2008 (Agence Europe) - The president of the European Commission, Jose Manuel Barroso, is reported to have given the Polish authorities extra time in the EU state aid case concerning Polish shipyards. If his decision is confirmed by the EU commissioners at their meeting on Wednesday, Poland would be given a breathing space to provide the European Commission with a restructuring plan for the Gdansk, Gdynia and Szczecin shipyards that meets the requirements of EU state aid rules.
A spokesperson for the Polish Ministry of the Treasury, Maciej Wewior, said that during a telephone conversation, the Polish prime minister Donald Tusk was given “verbal agreement” by Barroso that the deadline would be extended, and this is due to be endorsed by the meeting of EU commissioners on Wednesday 16 July 2008. Official sources suggest that two or three months of extra time may be granted. Barroso's spokesperson, Johannes Laitenberger, confirmed that the telephone conversation with the Polish prime minister had indeed taken place, but refused to comment on what might have been said. 'What I can say at this stage is, the Commission is very carefully analysing this issue, and it's a collegiate decision that will be taken tomorrow,' he said over the phone on Tuesday. Wewior said that the extra time was needed to reconcile the expectations of private investors with the European Commission's demands. The Commission will no longer allow aid from the Polish state to make up more than half the restructured shipyards' capital. (C.D./transl.fl)