Brussels wants to close Polish shipyards

The European Commission said "enough" to the grants on Polish shipyards. Brussels said that they cannot protect them from the ruthless market just because it is a birthplace of "Solidarity". Taking away of the grants, which amount to billion zlotys, means the bankruptcy for the yards. The frightened government sent the Minister of Treasury on mediation to Brussels.
The commission is hardlined. Brussels gave today Warsaw one month "either we will start making order in the state-owned shipyards ( which means further dismissals, pay cuts and limits in production) or we will answer for it. At best the shipyard will have to return help.
The Minister of Treasury Aleksander Grad has a tough nut to crack. He cannot allow for the eventual bankruptcy of the shipyards because more or less 10 thausand people would lose their job. On the other hand the privatisation of the birthplace of "Solidarity" could have a negative influence on the exit polls.
Only one out of three shipyards has been privatised so far. The one which made use of the public grants. It was the Gdańsk shipyard which in 2002 for 400 million zloty bought an Ukrainian company Donbas.