English
Obserwator Finansowy features views and analysis of economy in Poland and other countries, written by some of the best journalists, economists and analysts. Our mission is to share knowledge of economics and financial markets in the world.
Obserwator Finansowy is a project under aegis of the Poland’s central bank, Narodowy Bank Polski. We have published thousands of articles about the Polish and global economy. Our journalists have conducted hundreds of interviews with Nobel laureates, distinguished economists, business leaders and politicians with views across the political spectrum.
In this section you can find selected articles in English.
Only the public finance crisis is a fact
Jowita FlankowskaPoles have not been hit by ‘seven misfortunes’ because of the global economic crisis. People are becoming more and more affluent and, generally, satisfied. We believe that the unemployment rate in Poland, including...
Banks to face competition following payment deregulation
Grzegorz HansenApproximately 10 million non-cash transactions are carried out daily in Poland and more than half of them are conducted without the use of payment cards. They are performed with the participation of banks via the National...
Removing barriers is not enough – we must help companies to grow
Aleksandra FandrejewskaWe are adept at assembling and tightening screws, but by doing so, Poland falls into the trap of low technology and medium income. We need to change our approach to the economy, and then consistently implement a new plan...
How to move up on the economic ladder
Aleksandra FandrejewskaToday, at a meeting convened by the Polish President, Professor Jerzy Hausner shall present a report entitled “How to make headway in the world league?” According to its authors, the Polish economy is now at a turning...
Participatory budgeting or pocket money for voters
Piotr AleksandrowiczThey were still a curiosity not so long ago, and now we hear about civic budgets regularly: 300 proposals for the civic budget in Radom, 1 200 proposals in Chorzów, 700 in Elbląg, more than 240 in Wroclaw. This...
Expressways as investment priority
Konrad MajszykThe Ministry of Transport, Construction and Maritime Economy promises that the construction of the faulty network of motorways and expressways will be completed by 2020. This will, however, be achieved partly at the...
Despite the budget gap, an amendment is uncertain
Witold GadomskiFour months into budget implementation, the State budget deficit amounted to PLN 31.7 billion, that is nearly 90 per cent of the total value planned for the year. It is almost certain that tax revenues will be lower...
Energy providers want money for energy and for the capacity to generate it
Maciej SzczepaniukThe power industry, threatened with restructuring, is lobbying for a further injection of cash at the expense of customers; they justify it with the threat of a potential blackout. Only those investment projects that are...
Expenses already cut, now it’s time to think of revenues
Marek PielachPublic debt is no longer a problem in the countries of the Central and south-eastern Europe. The main problem is that nothing is being done to improve investment climate and increase competitiveness. Poland needs structural...
Chemical industry’s privatization strategy hampers its privatization process
Tomasz ŚwiderekThe main result of the privatization of the Polish chemical sector, founded on the principle of "have your cake and eat it", is the growing debt of companies from this sector. A real privatization seems to be an increasingly...