The relations between Poland and the Word Bank (WB)
will change. There will be no more money for roads, but instead the bank will
advise where to find them. Poland is no longer a poor country whose government
has no funds for investments.
"As the EU member Poland has an access to
significant financial funds, and it is the Union and its institutions that shal
become Poland's key partners. Therefore our ralations with the government will
now focus rather on passing our knowledge and providing expert opinions", says
Oscar de Bruyn Kops, the new WB Country Manager for Poland and the Baltic
States.
Less money
In recent years thanks to the WB loans the
number of kilometres of modernized roads has grown from 200 to more than 1,000.
However, now the WB projects are expected to be more selective.
"The
financial engagement cannnot be be as high as it used to be. Still, it is to be
decided by our client, i.e. the government, what sectors are the top priorities.
As for the roads we can offer help with public and private projects as we have
experience in this field. Moreover, the private sector can be supported by our
IFC, and we can also help in getting funds rom the EU", says Oscar de Bruyn
Kops.
Better judiciary
WB offers help in reforming the juducial
system.
"It is about improving the effectiveness of courts, allocation of
cases, better clarity and informatization. Similar projects were carried out in
Slovakaia and Russia", says the head of the Polish section.
A list of challenges
Oscar de Bruyn Kops thinks that introduction of the
WB projects in Poland is going pretty well and more than 80 per cent of them are
perceived as satisfactory.
However, he the bank is facing many challenges,
such as licence issuing, taxes, infrastructure, public finances, the influence
of demographic changes on the pesion system,insurances, and many others.
"I
dare say the World Bank knows Poland quite well ans we would like to combine our
experience with this knowledge. We would wish to cooperate not only with the
government but also with local authorities who want to succeed", stresses Oscar
de Bruyn Kops.